Psychologist in training and defender of the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people. He leads IRCA CASABIERTA with the conviction that comprehensive care isn’t a service, it’s a responsibility.
We were born out of a need
Institute on LGBTIQ+ Migration and Refuge for Central America IRCA CASABIERTA.
In 2013, a Honduran LGBTIQ+ activist had to seek refuge in Costa Rica, fleeing persecution and violence in his country. When he arrived, he found that the available services weren’t designed for people like him; that the intersection of being LGBTIQ+ and being a forced migrant created a specific vulnerability that the system didn’t know how to handle.
From that lived experience, 'Comunidad Casabierta' was born, a space for meeting, guidance, and peer support that started as a civil society initiative and grew over time. We connected, formed alliances with organizations and civil society actors, recognized the need for urgent specialized response, and thus, based on lived experience, we became an organization that today combines evidence, innovation, and strategic partnerships to address one of the biggest human rights challenges in the region.
Today, the LGBTIQ+ Migration and Refugee Institute for Central America IRCA CASABIERTA is a benchmark in the country—and in the Central American context—on LGBTIQ+ migration and refugee issues. We are a non-profit organization, registered in the Public Registry of Costa Rica, actively working with international organizations, state institutions, and civil society organizations throughout the region.
We are your safe place.
"Comunidad Casabierta" is born as an initiative of civil society: response to the overlooked intersection between forced migration and LGBTIQ+ identity.
Institutional formalization: registration as a non-profit organization in the Public Registry of Costa Rica.
Consolidation of the comprehensive care model: coordination of the five essential services under the Development Trilogy.
Start of the period of greatest growth: coverage expansion, opening of the Integration and Development Center (CID), and first formal coordination with international organizations.
Inauguration of the Chavela Vargas Room and the Employment Office: first employment unit of an LGBTIQ+ NGO in Costa Rica integrated into the National Employment System (ANE).
Consolidation of regional leadership. IRCA CASABIERTA recognized as a technical reference in LGBTIQ+ migration and refuge in Central America and Latin America.
Consolidation of the institutional model and expansion of regional partnerships to strengthen sustainability and innovation.
Non-profit organization specialized in comprehensive protection, political advocacy, and technical and psychosocial support for LGBTIQ+ people in a migration situation, forced displacement and seeking refuge in Central America. Through an approach of human rights, diversity, resilience, and socioeconomic integration, develops evidence-based interventions, knowledge management, and strategic partnerships aimed at restoring rights, autonomy, and building new active citizenships, contributing to the strengthening of more inclusive, resilient societies that respect human rights.
To be a leading organization at the regional level in the care, protection, and integration of LGBTIQ+ people in a situation of forced displacement, recognized for its technical leadership, its ability to influence public policy, its financial sustainability based on innovative fundraising models, its coordination with public and private actors, and its contribution to the transformation of reception, international protection, and socioeconomic integration systems, from a human rights, equity, and dignity perspective.
They aren't a statement of intent. They're the standard the team uses to make every decision, from how to help someone in crisis to how to manage a partnership with an institution.
We act in line with our principles, speech, and institutional practices.
We work with ethical and professional responsibility for the dignity and rights of LGBTIQ+ people in situations of forced displacement.
We manage our resources, information, and relationships with transparency, honesty, and responsibility.
We focus our work on people, recognizing their experiences, identities, and contexts.
We promote relationships based on the full recognition of human rights and diversity.
We promote mutual support, shared responsibility, and collective action.
We anticipate challenges and promote innovative solutions in the face of changing contexts.
We strengthen our abilities to adapt and transform in the face of adverse situations.
We promote participation, leadership, and community building.
IRCA CASABIERTA has a highly trained team in migration, refuge, and sexual diversity; its greatest strength is also the most human: many of its members know firsthand what it's like to migrate forcibly and face discrimination for being who they are. That combination of technical training and lived experience is our biggest differentiator.
The team brings together professionals in social work, law, psychology, communication, and institutional management, with backgrounds in human rights, international protection, and LGBTIQ+ civil society. A structure that combines technical expertise with the sensitivity of having experienced similar stories to the people we serve.
"Not being afraid. Diversifying our funds. Innovating and never losing our direction. Humanizing processes. Documenting reality with real data and credible testimonies has been the key to success in our work."
IRCA CASABIERTA Executive Management
Psychologist in training and defender of the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people. He leads IRCA CASABIERTA with the conviction that comprehensive care isn’t a service, it’s a responsibility.
Law graduate and activist in human rights and sexual diversity. He has spent years turning humanism into concrete action, and at IRCA CASABIERTA he found the place where that conviction takes the form of an organization.
Bachelor in Business Administration. With the rigor of someone who knows that using resources well is also an act of justice, she manages the organization's finances with precision and transparency.
Business Administration student. She’s the quiet engine that keeps everything running. What drives her most about her work at IRCA CASABIERTA is seeing people’s progress.
Bachelor in Social Work. What I value most about IRCA CASABIERTA is something you can see and feel: the safety and empathy with which each person is treated and the results that show in those we support.
Licensed in Social Work. She knows what it means to arrive in a country without a helping hand to guide you. Through Social Oversight, she turns that knowledge into concrete support: comprehensive, humane, and non-judgmental.
Non-formal educator, university professor, and theologian. He leads the Center for Integration and Development with the belief that supporting someone in rebuilding their life plan is one of the most meaningful tasks there is.
Graduate in Education with an emphasis in Philosophy and a Social Communicator. Knows firsthand what it means to migrate and start over. Through communication, he translates that experience into real tools.
For the 2025–2030 period, IRCA CASABIERTA is implementing an Institutional Strategic Plan aimed at consolidating its regional leadership and strengthening its organizational sustainability. Three fundamental pillars structure this horizon:
Effective and up-to-date response to the current challenges faced by the LGBTIQ+ migrant and asylum-seeking population in the region.
Consolidation of our position as a technical reference in Central America and Latin America, with influence in regional public policy spaces.
Strengthening the financial base, diversifying sources of funding, and consolidating innovative fundraising models.
IRCA CASABIERTA does not work alone. The strategic collaboration with Costa Rican state institutions, international organizations, and civil society organizations is a core part of the care model and regional political advocacy.
If you are a person LGBTIQ+ migrant, asylum seeker or refugee in Costa Rica, complete this form.
Our team will review your information and get in touch with you as soon as possible.