The Costa Rica - Frankfurt airlift in detail

Results January-December 2025 & experiences from the project

The Costa Rica – Frankfurt Airlift project, initiated by the Tropica Verde association in Frankfurt, was carried out from January 1 to December 31, 2025. This initiative linked educational institutions in Germany and Costa Rica through an audiovisual and educational exchange on environmental and cultural topics. In Germany, the project was accompanied by two speakers/coordinators who were commissioned by Tropica Verde and worked together with the Pestalozzi School (elementary school) and the IGS Nordend (secondary school).

In Costa Rica, the project was coordinated by Lubica Bogantes (environmental educator, Monte Alto nature reserve) in collaboration with the Monte Romo elementary school and the Colegio Técnico Profesional de Hojancha, in cooperation with its director Braulio Miranda Méndez and Glenda Salazar.

The detailed project plan was made available to all participants. Via regular video diaries uploaded to a virtual platform, pupils from Frankfurt and Costa Rica exchanged information about their activities, their environment and their everyday school life. The topics covered included local biodiversity, nutrition, the schoolyard, fair trade and other aspects. The aim was to promote mutual learning and intercultural encounters between the two school communities.

At the end of the project in December 2025, the video diaries and this report show the development of this pilot project. As a pilot project, Puente Aéreo aims to evaluate the collaboration between schools in Costa Rica and Frankfurt, with the perspective of expanding and strengthening similar initiatives in the coming years.

In addition, a budget of up to 500 euros was provided for the purchase of teaching materials at each participating school in Costa Rica.

Results January-December 2025

An exchange of experiences between two elementary school and two secondary schools from Costa Rica and Frankfurt was facilitated, promoting dialog about school activities, everyday school life and various global issues of common interest.
Various key players from Costa Rica and Germany were involved in the project. In Costa Rica, the Monte Romo School in the municipality of Monte Romo in the canton of Hojancha, the Colegio Técnico Profesional de Hojancha (CTP) and the Monte Alto Nature Reserve took part. On the German side, the Tropica Verde association, the Pestalozzi School and the IGS Nordend in Frankfurt were involved. The cooperation between these institutions enriched the educational exchange and strengthened the links between the two countries.
A total of 19 pupils from the Monte Romo school and two teachers took part, as well as 14 pupils from the CTP, a teacher and a coordinator from the CTP.

Activities carried out in 2025

This section describes the main activities carried out in 2025 according to the project design and implementation plan. The pilot project was based on the creation of regular video diaries that were uploaded to a digital platform provided by Tropica Verde to facilitate exchanges between the participating educational institutions. A list of pre-selected topics was jointly agreed upon, including, for example, the typical breakfast and the origin of the products, the way to school, the schoolyard or the forest in the community. The pupils from both countries shared their experiences and their everyday lives.

Activity 1: Breakfast topic

Location: Monte Romo School and Colegio CTP (on different dates)

Goals:

Drawing and describing the typical breakfast of each pupil
Talk about the origin of the food
Reflect on what children eat for breakfast in other countries and compare eating habits
Analyzing whether it is common for children to drink coffee and what this means
Get to know the sugar cane plant and its basic processing method
Distinguishing between local fruits and those from other regions
Introduction to the differences between organic and conventional production

Date: March 10, 2025 and March 11, 2025

Participants:
7 students Monte Romo, 2 teachers, 2 moderators,
14 students CTP, 1 teacher CTP

Moderators:
Lubica Bogantes, Latifah Licina (volunteer from Pro Regenwald)

At the first meeting, the students created introductory presentations as well as drawings (Monte Romo) or presentations (PowerPoint, CTP) to show their typical breakfast and the food they eat every day. They reflected on the origin of their food (mainly local products such as rice and beans, maize, coffee, milk and sugar cane) and the importance of buying local and – where possible – organic. Some children from Monte Romo also learned about different types of plants, including sugar cane and its cultivation.

Activity 2: Topic: Getting to school

Location: Monte Romo School and Colegio CTP (on different dates)

Goals:

Observation and description of your own way to school
Identification and comparison of the means of transportation used
Perception of landscape, nature, infrastructure, sounds and activities
Reflection on road safety and route conditions
Comparison of school routes in Costa Rica and Germany
Creation of drawings, photos or videos for exchange

Date: April 30, 2025 and May 5, 2025

Participants:
9 pupils Monte Romo, 2 teachers, 2 moderators,
14 pupils CTP, 1 teacher CTP

Presenters:
Lubica Bogantes, Latifah Licina (Pro Regenwald volunteer)
Video production and subtitles: Patience Schillinger

The pupils presented their routes to school using drawings (Monte Romo) and videos (CTP). Many reported that they travel to school by car, school bus or motorcycle, which is not always environmentally friendly. Some children traveled long distances and had to get up early. When watching the videos from Germany, they noticed, among other things, the use of public transport, bicycles and scooters as well as the different clothing due to the climate. This led to exciting comparisons. The CTP students were particularly inspired by the efforts of German students in a charity run for environmental projects.

Activity 3: Schoolyard topic

Location: Monte Romo School and Colegio CTP (on different dates)

Goals:

Description of the characteristics of the schoolyard
Identification of existing spaces (green areas, play areas, gardens, etc.)
Reflection on well-being, leisure and learning
Comparison of schoolyards in Costa Rica and Germany
Exploring biodiversity
Creation of materials for exchange

Dates:
June 2, 2025 (Monte Romo)
September 3 and 12, 2025 (CTP)

Participants:
11 pupils Monte Romo, 2 teachers, 2 moderators,
14 pupils CTP, 1 teacher, 1 coordinator CTP

Presenters:
Lubica Bogantes, Latifah Licina
Video production and subtitles: Patience Schillinger

The pupils presented their favorite places, animals and plants as well as leisure activities. In Costa Rica, they emphasized that they play a lot of soccer and basketball and that animals such as dogs, cats, birds and insects are part of everyday school life. They also presented recycling projects and regional festivals such as Día de Guanacaste. The CTP also presented the preparations for Independence Day on September 15 and the school’s own nature trail.

Activity 4: Topic forests, biodiversity and visit to the Reserva Monte Alto

Place: Monte Alto Nature Reserve

Goals:

Learn about the ecological importance of the reserve
Direct observation of flora and fauna
Introduction to nature conservation and sustainable forest management
Strengthening the emotional connection to nature
Documentation of the visit

Dates:
August 25, 2025 (Monte Romo)
October 13, 2025 (CTP)

Participants:
14 pupils Monte Romo, 2 teachers,
2 moderators from the reserve,
14 pupils CTP, 2 teachers

Moderator:
Lubica Bogantes
Video production and subtitles: Patience Schillinger

The pupils visited the reserve and learned about its work, flora and fauna. Among other things, they learned more about bats and the history of the reserve. The CTP pupils practiced as environmental guides and gave short presentations in English. The children from Monte Romo explored the trails and learned about animals using camera traps and footprints.

Activity 5: Banana split, fair trade and closure

Location: Monte Romo School

Goals:

Understanding the banana production chain
Identification of actors involved
Analysis of profit distribution
Reflection on working conditions
Introduction to the concept of fair trade
Promoting empathy and critical consumption

Date:
November 27, 2025

Participants:
8 pupils Monte Romo, 2 teachers,
2 moderators of the Monte Alto Nature Reserve

Presenters:
Lubica Bogantes
Video production and subtitles: Patience Schillinger

In the last meeting, the pupils played the game “Banana Split” to understand the value chain of a banana from Costa Rica to Germany. They recognized existing inequalities and reflected on fair trade and responsible consumption.

Conclusion and lessons learned

During the project, the students gained new perspectives and knowledge that strengthened their motivation to learn languages, travel and get to know other cultures. A total of 19 students from the Monte Romo school and 14 from the CTP worked actively together. Challenges included time differences, language barriers and the time required for video recordings and subtitles. Nevertheless, the project was deemed a success and the pupils showed great interest in future intercultural exchange projects.

Your Lubica Bogantes