La Carpio is a Nicaraguan refugee community on the outskirts of San Jose and is considered one of the most dangerous areas in Costa Rica. I spent the day there and met a lot of really wonderful families that invited me into their homes.
Elias Sandoval lives in La Carpio with his family of five beautiful children and his wife Idali Martinez Sandoval who is carrying her sixth child. They live near a river in a house made out of tin. Elias is a very nice man and volunteers every Sunday with a small NGO to help improve the conditions in La Carpio.
Idali had her first child when she was 13 years old. Her husband is at least 10 years older than her. It is very common for indigenous Nicaraguan women to begin having children at a very young age. From a first world perspective the age difference would seem immoral. Cultural perspectives clash in various countries in Central America where its debated if indigenous people should have the right to practice such cultural norms.
