Casa luz is a home for young mothers and their children who come from situations of abuse, extreme poverty, and exploitation. Located near San Jose, Costa Rica, Casa Luz was founded in 2003 by Lori and Eldon Cooke, a Canadian couple, who moved to Costa Rica to open a boutique hotel and restaurant in the early 1990’s. In 2017, they were joined by their daughter and son-in-law, Breanne and Jeremy Heide, who felt a calling to leave their home in Canada and, along with their two young boys, move to Costa Rica to join in the work of Casa Luz. 

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Our skilled and passionate team of social workers, teachers, psychologist, guidance and Christian counsellors, live-in house mothers, child development workers, administrative support and kitchen staff work diligently to provide the mothers and children of Casa Luz with the love and tools they need to succeed.

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The program at Casa Luz is divided into two stages. Stage one accommodates up to 16 mothers and their children and focuses on providing restoration and education. In this safe and loving environment, the mothers are given the professional support that they need to heal. They are provided with in-house grade school education as well as vocational and parental training. Being children themselves, some as young as 12 years old, a great deal of attention is given to helping these girls learn how to be great mothers.

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Our stage two apartment facility can accommodate up to 18 mothers and their children. For families with mothers at least 16 years of age who have successfully completed the stage one program, stage two offers a transition into semi-independent living. The program is tailored to the specific needs of each family with a strong emphasis on continuing education. Physical and emotional support, spiritual guidance, and a comprehensive preschool program continue to be provided as these families move towards full independence.

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Ultimately, our prayer for all of the young mothers at Casa Luz is that their broken hearts would be mended, that they would find freedom from the hurts of their past and that when they look inside themselves, they would see beauty instead of ashes, hope instead of despair, and joy in place of pain.