By Roger Bjoroy-Karlsen
The children are inheriting the world. And some of them refuse to inherit a polluted planet. Join us as we visit a team of volunteers, including children as young as kindergarten age, taking responsibility for the environment on the Mosquitia coast!
Puerto Lempira at the Mosquitia Coast is the capital of the Gracias a Dios municipality. It is named after Lempira, a 16th-century leader of the indigenous Lenca people, who led an ultimately unsuccessful resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces in the 1530s. Most of us recognize his name from the Honduran currency.
As the Rotary Club of Roatan, Utila, Guanaja, we primarily focus our efforts on the Bay Islands. However, thanks to a member located on the mainland of Honduras, we can also make an impact there. Frans Thomas Manister, residing in Puerto Lempira, is dedicated to caring for the environment in his area and organizing beach cleanups. This time, he was preparing Casahubila Beach for Holy Week to enhance visitors' experience at this beautiful location.
With a team of 20 volunteers, including adults, school students, and even some kindergartners, he organized a cleanup effort that lasted for three hours. Frans has a clear vision for why he wants young people to volunteer:
“Our goal is to instill good habits in these children, shaping them into future agents of change in Mosquitia. What better way to demonstrate community service than by participating together with family members—parents, uncles, and cousins?”
Frans believes in the power of cooperation and that people of action should work together:
“I encourage any members of the Rotary Club in Gracias a Dios (La Mosquitia) to reach out to me, as I believe we can achieve great things by collaborating as a team rooted in the principles of the Rotary Club. If there aren’t any active members, I extend an invitation for more individuals to join us in our mission to enhance La Mosquitia. Looking ahead, we have an exciting project planned for next week in *Uhnuya!”
The club’s President Angela is enthusiastic:
“It is always encouraging to see our members take action and get their communities involved because together we are stronger. There is so much more we can accomplish together. I am also so grateful for the way the families include the children, as we need to empower the younger generation. They are the ones who will inherit the world, so let's make environmental consciousness a part of their everyday lives.”
A solid team on a beach cleanup!
Stay tuned and you will hear more about the project in Uhnuya in the near future!
Are you looking for more stories from and about the people, their culture, society, and history? Why don’t you visit https://bay-islands-magazine.com/