When Diego Quesada Rodríguez of Costa Rica saw the video of a rescue worker pulling a baby from the rubble, something changed. The Costa Rican Boy Scout, who was accustomed to volunteering in community and emergency projects, felt he could not remain indifferent to the tragedy caused by the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.

Using his own savings, protective gear, food, and several flashlights, he set out on a journey that he had initially planned as a tourist trip but that ended up becoming the most important mission of his life. Without the initial support of a nongovernmental organization, he arrived determined to be self-sufficient and to be part of the solution, not a burden.

While working alongside rescue teams, neighbors, and international volunteers, he earned a nickname that summed up much of his work: “the Tico of Light.” He not only helped illuminate work areas at night; he also spent time with families, helped pool resources, and used art, music, and the Scout spirit to bring a few minutes of joy back to the affected children.

​ Diego is a native of Heredia, Costa Rica. He is a “tico” (a term of endearment used to refer to people from Costa Rica), who has divided his life among three places: downtown Heredia, Barba de Heredia, and San Isidro de Heredia—places rich in culture and folklore. He is a loyal fan of Club Sport Herediano and passionate about soccer.

As a child, he dreamed of becoming a firefighter or joining a SWAT team. As a young man, he was fascinated by investigation and forensic science. Later in life, he pursued a career in occupational health and safety. But throughout his life, he has also worked in event production—a field he is passionate about and greatly enjoys.

​ Diego is known for being cheerful and helpful. He believes he possesses many leadership qualities. “One of the complex aspects of my life is that I’ve had ADHD since childhood and adolescence. It used to be part of my struggles, but once I learned to manage the condition, it actually became an asset, and I use it as a tool that gives me many advantages,” he said.

​ Several Generations of Scouts

As for his professional training, most of it has focused on occupational health and safety. But his actual livelihood comes from producing and organizing events. He is a certified wedding planner and organizes social and corporate events. He also works on the family business, a restaurant called La Selva, and runs a startup called Picnics y Propuestas CR.

He is undoubtedly a multifaceted man. But this is where the question arose: How did he become a Scout? What—or who—led him into this world?

He has been involved in Scouting for about 29 years. As a child, he saw a group of young people playing games and participating in activities in a community park, and he approached them, driven by his intense curiosity. After approaching them, he gradually learned who the Scouts were and what they did. Later on, he also discovered that many people in his family had been Scouts—his parents, uncles and aunts, and even his grandparents had been part of this great movement.

According to Diego Quesada, Scouts make a promise to God, their country, and their community. And that promise includes helping others in all circumstances. “This leads to a lifestyle where volunteering is always present—all the more so when difficult situations arise and when more people are in need; instinct drives us to react and help.”

That said, there are always people who guide you along the way—those we come to regard as mentors in our lives. In the case of Costa Rican Scouts, he has a great deal to thank them for; he says there are too many to mention by name. However, he wanted to highlight his Scout leaders, “who, like me, have dedicated countless hours of their lives to sharing their knowledge and setting an example.”

He recalled the professors and teachers from the various institutions he had attended, and gave special recognition to his family’s constant guidance and other contributions in general.

“I was reminded of an anecdote from when I was a child learning to tie knots and came across a small-scale fisherman who gave me one of the best lessons of my life. So knowledge comes from many different places and people, to whom I am eternally grateful,” he insisted.

For Diego, being a Scout isn’t an all-consuming calling to serve—it’s a lifestyle, not a burden. Among the things he’s passionate about are sport shooting, the outdoors, and travel.

“In the end, it turns out to be a lifestyle that offers many opportunities to spend time with new people from whom I can learn and whom I can help. “The entire time I was in Venezuela, I never parted with my rescue gear. First, because I constantly needed the helmet, the flashlight, and the gloves. And second, because when I started leading the games and activities, I discovered that the children in the communities saw the rescuers for what they really are—selfless heroes who were giving their all to help the people of their country,” he explained.

There was a video that finally convinced him to travel to Venezuela after the double earthquake on June 24. Diego was watching the video in which a rescue worker pulled a baby girl from among the slabs of concrete and the rubble. “I have two nephews whom I love, and at that moment, something clicked in my heart and mind—I felt compelled to act and set out on the journey to Venezuela with the intention of helping as many families as possible who were devastated during that time of crisis.”

He was also motivated by his work, family, and colleagues, who stepped in to cover for him, and the issue of funding ultimately wasn’t a problem, since he had savings he could use for his trip. A key factor is that one of his mottos is “God will provide,” and to this day, that has proven true in every decision he’s made.

As for his family and loved ones, he apologizes to them because he knows it was very stressful for everyone to know he was in a place full of chaos and danger, but he also thanks them because, without hesitation, they all reached out to him and offered their support in various ways, and thanks to that, he was able to make everything a success.

Likewise, he thanks his homeland and community, as many people reached out to see how they could send resources, others shared prayer chains with him, and still others offered their professional services in medical and psychological fields to address the emergency.

After moving to Venezuela to volunteer, what was the process like in terms of personal logistics to ensure he wouldn’t be a burden but rather a solution?

The Costa Rican Scout quickly planned to travel self-sufficiently. “I brought my cleaning kits, my protective gear, and my own food supplies so I wouldn’t be a burden amid the chaos of the emergency. Since the decision was made quickly, I looked into ways to help that I’d had in mind, but as I began my journey, stopping over in Panama, I’d already met other volunteers and organizations heading to Venezuela. One of them was World Central Kitchen, which was a very interesting project where they offered me the chance to help, but in the end I ended up working with a group of rescue workers called Aerial Recovery, on what I believe has been the most important mission of my life to date.”

Diego wasn’t too worried about what kind of work he would end up doing, because he knew there were plenty of opportunities given the severity of the emergency.

Beyond the logistics involved in his arrival in Venezuela, we wanted to learn about the specific Scouting skills he has acquired and that served him well in the disaster situation—from knowing how to set up tents, which he’s been doing since he was a child and as part of his work organizing picnics. He also has knowledge of electricity, which helped him develop a lighting strategy. But there’s one skill he considered most valuable: the activities and games he organized in different places to bring a little joy to people.

“Through school, the Scouts, and various artistic groups I’ve been part of, I’ve discovered that art and music are tools for rebuilding—and that they allow children affected by the earthquake tragedy to become, for a few minutes, simply children again. They disconnect from the chaos, and through games and dances, they can be happy and enjoy a moment of their well-deserved childhood,” he explained.

The Venezuelans nicknamed him “the Tico of the Light”

Diego said that the Venezuelans he worked with nicknamed him “the Tico of the Light,” and in his view, that nickname has several meanings. First, in the areas where he went to work, there was truly a lot of chaos. One issue was that people worked nonstop through the night, and there wasn’t good lighting or adequate supplies to get the work done.

“Based on my experience, I brought several flashlights—some very powerful ones—which made the tasks easier for my team and for others nearby. Part of what I did was also negotiate with different groups to pool our resources. For example, some people had generators, others had gasoline, others had extension cords, and others had lights, but every group was missing something they needed to function. So, I focused on talking with them to get light to specific work sites, making this collaboration a major success in the operational process,” said the Costa Rican Scout.

On the other hand, Diego added that the nickname “Tico de la Luz” had a more spiritual meaning, because he had to deal with personal situations involving psychological issues and provide direct spiritual support to families who couldn’t find their loved ones—or, when they did find a family member, help them entrust that person to God and pay their respects with dignity.

Today, he feels that the combination of these two situations is what made that nickname catch on, among others he was given, “because Venezuelans, by and large, are very cheerful, fun-loving people, and even in the midst of a crisis, they find a way to make a joke out of everything,” he said.

This was Diego Quesada’s first experience outside his home country of Costa Rica and his first experience with this type of emergency—a double earthquake in Venezuela.

It’s worth mentioning that he once traveled to Nicaragua to paint a school. He has had the opportunity to volunteer on many other occasions, such as through the food distribution project for homeless people that he runs with the restaurant La Selva—an initiative started by his family and a group of friends—as well as through his collaboration with Blue Rose, an organization dedicated to working with people with Down syndrome.

He has supported Proyecto Daniel, a foundation dedicated to helping children with cancer, and has collaborated with Obras del Espíritu Santo, which runs hundreds of projects that are always in need of volunteers. He has also worked with the Costa Rican Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association; he is undoubtedly a very compassionate man with a tireless spirit of service.

Of course, Diego met and spent time with fellow scouts from other countries during the crisis in Venezuela; in fact, the Venezuelan Girl Scouts Association contacted him and provided him with supplies.

“They brought me thousands of gummy candies and sweets to share with the children. I also got to meet people from the Venezuelan Girl Scouts Association who were volunteering in hospitals. Many of them are doctors and pharmacists, and they were providing medical care. During the trip, I met Scouts from different parts of the world, such as Australia, Israel, Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. And just the simple act of running into them and exchanging the Scout salute was a moment of inspiration and helped me understand just how far Scout brotherhood extends,” he emphasized.

Diego clarified that in another interview they had discussed a theft of his equipment during his stay in Venezuela, but in the end—given the nature of the emergency—he believes it was simply a reallocation of resources.

“In times of need, people needed the phone charger, the power bank, or the flashlights. Some I lent out; some I left in places where they were taken, but the resources were always put to good use. Even days later, while passing through an area where I’d worked, I noticed that one of the flashlights was attached to a helmet and being put to good use. So, for me, it wasn’t theft—it was simply a reallocation of resources. Amid all that chaos, you can’t keep track of all your belongings, and if someone needed that equipment, I’m sure everyone who was there used it properly. In the end, it wasn’t a problem—it was just another way to help,” he said.

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He had previously mentioned that many rescue workers and members of the press had already left, but the need remains—and that is absolutely true. He also pointed out the most critical issue he observed on the streets—something the world was no longer seeing on television…

In his view, the scale of the disaster was so massive that no one was prepared to take the lead in managing the emergency. While shelters are now in place, hundreds of people remain in makeshift camps on the outskirts of the city, without any support. Furthermore, many NGOs have withdrawn, leading to a decrease in the flow of resources for relief efforts and supplies such as food and water.

“I fully understand that the emergency is evolving and the priorities are shifting, but the scale of the disaster is so immense that my biggest concern is that people will forget and stop sending supplies. More than 20 days into the emergency (by which time I had returned to my country), there were still people who didn’t have a tent or even a place to rest. And it was quite frustrating to see that even though there were thousands trying to help, it wasn’t enough—neither in terms of recovering bodies nor in terms of logistics and medical care. I think food distribution in this initial stage was a positive development, since many institutions, NGOs, and families were focused on ensuring the food distribution ran smoothly, but I also know that this will soon start to taper off,” he added.

Diego spoke about how impressive it is that he has learned so much in such a short time. “From the professional rescue workers, I learned many technical skills and rediscovered others that I already knew but had never had the opportunity to apply. From the other volunteers, I saw the passion and superhuman efforts they put in to achieve the common goal of helping others. From the Venezuelans, I learned about resilience—that even though everyone was suffering from such different circumstances, each person carried a heavy burden in their heart and yet they never stopped. Some kept digging, others kept teaching, and in this way, each person gave their utmost effort. So, seeing that there are so many people who are good at heart truly gives me a lot of hope and inspires me to be a better person and to keep improving myself.”

Quesada makes it very clear that when you serve others, you do so without looking at who they are and without expecting recognition. Although the simple fact of being involved in these activities provides feedback and is a reward in itself.

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“But I do have an award from the Costa Rican Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association called the ‘Medal of Valor’ for saving the life of someone who was drowning in a lagoon near a waterfall,” he noted.

The Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” How does one mentally prepare to be ready for a tragedy in a foreign country using only one’s own resources?

Find out about every move made by scout Diego Quesada Rodríguez—follow him on

 Instagram:  @diegoquesadarodriguez.

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