The R.E.A.Ch. Story

A month long volunteer trip to Costa Rica in 2011 was the spark that ignited the mission of Project R.E.A.Ch. Meeting the special education teachers in Costa Rica opened Lise, the Founder of R.E.A.Ch, to the severe lack of resources and funding provided to children with developmental disorders. It became her goal to change this leading to the creation of a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The solution began with a basic concept - bring the necessary supplies to the developing world to help address this resource gap. From books to braile machines, teachers were given the tools to help initiate change. What started in Costa Rica spread across Latin America with projects in Peru & Nicaragua.

Today, Project R.E.A.Ch has moved from resource allocation to the more powerful initiative of knowledge sharing, implementation of new technologies and professional development. Through our OutR.E.A.Ch trips, we connect education professionals in the developing world with our participants - students and experts from the U.S. These targeted trainings utilizing the R.E.A.Ch Curriculum allows for a transformation to take place - from dependency on limited resources to teachers empowered with the most modern tools in education with a specific focus on special education. This knowledge then ripples through the local education community, creating a sustainable, long-lasting impact. R.E.A.Ch believes in the power of these partnerships and the potential to collaborate on a global scale to give hope to these students.