El Centro Integral de Bello Horizonte—Manzanillo

Help us build a vibrant, self-sustaining, Integrated Growth Center for Sports, Education, and Community in Manzanillo—empowering locals and foreigners to connect and "rise together".

The Problem

Over the past two decades, foreign investment has transformed the southern Nicoya Peninsula. However, there has been limited corresponding investment in schools, infrastructure, and opportunities for locals.

The result: many Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans have been displaced, their opportunities limited, and their futures reduced to service work—while everyone misses out on the balanced connection, cultural exchange, and shared growth that become possible when communities truly come together.

In Manzanillo, just north of Santa Teresa, the story isn’t written yet. The town is still 90% local, but it faces the same pressures as other communities: foreigner growth, rising costs, limited opportunities, and a whole community of people with energy but nowhere to put it. There’s no fitness or recreation facility, no learning center, and no gathering place beyond the beach or grocery store. Without resources to grow, connect, and learn, valuable potential is lost—and with it, the chance to write a new story and build a better future for the entire region.

The Vision

El Centro Integral de Bello Horizonte—Manzanillo was created to change that trajectory. Our mission is simple: give locals access to the same opportunities for growth, health, and connection that outsiders bring for themselves—so that rising tides truly lift all ships.

This isn’t just another community center. It’s a vibrant, self-sustaining hub designed to last, built on three strong pillars:

1. Sports & Recreation 
   A full-service gym, climbing wall, group fitness classes, trampoline, running track, skate park, courts for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and more—healthy, constructive outlets that channel energy, build confidence, and create positive habits. 

2. Education & Skills 
   Classes and workshops for all ages, where local and international teachers—both in-person and online—share real world skills, languages, arts, and trades that open new doors and connect Manzanillo to the wider world, and foreigner residents to the local community. 

3. Community & Culture 
   Events, activities, clubs, co-work, food services, retail, and community spaces where people of all backgrounds—Tico, Nicaraguan, and foreign—come together as equals to learn, celebrate, and build a stronger social fabric.

Why It Matters

This is about more than architecture or activities. It’s about proving that a town can grow without sacrificing its identity. By putting locals first, integrating newcomers, and offering true opportunities for recreation, learning, and connection, El Centro Integral de Bello Horizonte—Manzanillo will help ensure the region develops together, not divided.

And because the project is designed as a sustainable business model (through memberships, program and activity fees, drop-ins, and events), it won’t rely on ongoing donations. We’re asking for help to launch it, but once operational, it will stand on its own as a thriving, community-first enterprise.

The Call

This is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of our neighboring towns and launch a new trajectory. To give young people a path, adults a place to grow, and the community a future that is inclusive, healthy, and connected.

Your support will ensure the Center is built and sustained without financial burden on the local community, allowing families to focus on what matters most: participation and growth.

We invite you to join us in building El Centro Integral de Bello Horizonte—Manzanillo. More than a facility, it will be the foundation and catalyst for the region’s next chapter.

To learn more, please visit our general project overview pages online:   English, Spanish

Join us in building this future together! To explore how you can be part of the project and schedule a one-on-one conversation, please contact us at donors@elcentromanzanillo.com. 

Donations and Support

All donations provided to the Centro Manzanillo Fund will receive a U.S.-based tax exempt receipt. You can donate online here, or contact us about sending a wire transfer, check, securities or other complex donations.