There are some organizations that look after the wellbeing of the natives. The CONAI is the official institution for handling Indian affairs, but it's fragmented and not very efficient. Sejekto is a group in San Jose that handles complaints and that's become the voice for many people that were disillusioned with the official organization. The efforts of many Indian activists paid off when in 1994, the first indigenous bank was established in the Talamanca region with the financial help of the Interamerican Development Bank. This was extremely necessary, since many Indian farmers and entrepreneurs couldn't acquire credit from other institutions. Apart from financial and political limitations, part of the Indian population on reserves suffers great social problems. Alcoholism and more recently, drug-use, have become another predicament for these groups. Hogar Crea, which is an international organization for the treatment of drug-users is establishing a two-year rehabilitation program in Chiroles, in a primarily Indian region. This will be the first program of its kind in Latin America that's dedicated especially to the Indian population.
Even though the overall picture doesn't look too bright for the Indian population of the country, there have been several improvements in the recent years that promise to defend the rights of the indigenous people. Also, although only 1% of the country's population is considered of aboriginal blood, most Costa Ricans are a mixture of European, Indian and Black blood. The lack of evidence of Indian culture in Costa Rica isn't a simple matter, either. There are several cultural traits like food, music, dance and religion, which influenced and penetrated the mainstream culture; thus, Indian culture lives on, maybe not in its purest form, but certainly in a diluted version of it. Furthermore, some Indian groups like the Bribris have insisted in preserving their culture and in teaching their native language and customs alongside with the official educational program.