El Puente

El Puente was founded in 2003 by Barry and Nanci Stevens. While they came to Costa Rica to retire, they found themselves creating a nonprofit organization instead. El Puente now serves as a community resource center for indigenous families and provides the community with access to resources including food, clothing, and emergency funds. Our goal is to be the bridge between the ancient indigenous Bri Bri community and the greater Talamanca community.

In 2003, just weeks after retiring to Costa Rica, Nanci and Barry began to recognize the needs of those who lived in the BriBri community. They began to offer healthy meals to the families who would appear at the edge of the jungle in search of work and food. They quickly turned this service project into an organization, naming it El Puente - The Bridge to represent their goal of becoming the bridge between the ancient indigenous culture and the greater Talamancan community. They began to provide not only food, but also school supplies and micro-loans as well. In 2020, Kent and Melissa Gedhill became the new directors of El Puente to continue the mission that the Stevens’ had put forth 17 years earlier. That same year Derek, a BriBri from the Ulabruwak clan, who had been an active volunteer and member of the El Puente community since his childhood became the on-site manager of the community center. As the El Puente community continues to grow, so does the leader’s commitment to serving BriBri families and remaining the bridge between the various communities in Talamanca.