Honduras
Fotokids brought our successful photography program to Honduras to work in the village of Las Mangas after the devastation fraught by Hurricane Mitch in the year 2000 and continued until the graduate students took it over in 2015.
Our Fotokids project, Guaruma, continues today and is located in the scattered, small, villages in the Cangrejal River basin, a buffer zone for Pico Bonito National Park (which encompasses more than 85,000 hectares of wilderness). Fotokids was able to hand the successful environmental project on to graduates and a local board in 2015.
The project focused its teachings to promote environmental education and conservation.
We used photography, drawing, painting, nature study and writing as means of exploring their surroundings, respect for nature and preserving the environment.
Recognizing that the high dropout rate in school past 6th grade was due to the lack of financial resources of the families living in the jungle, we started a scholarship program similar to what we have in Guatemala. As a result, school enrollment after the 6th grade increased from 10% to 94%.
Fotokids focus was the use of photography and design. The students designed and operated an interactive nature museum, provided nature appreciation and conservation lectures to over 50 local schools, produced a learning DVD on the regional watershed, taught computers and photography in the school system, work as representatives with the National Park service and continue to serve as professional guides on a nature trail, they created and built. They have set up their own business, Moskito Expeditions, and teach at the environmental education center.
Their award-winning photographs have appeared in prestigious magazines such as Nature’s best and Ranger Rick and they have had exhibitions on Grand Cayman Island, Arizona and Finland. A Guaruma student has been a finalist twice in the BBC Young Nature Photographers competition; another was selected to attend professional workshops in Florida.
Stay in touch
Get Inspired. Stay Informed. Get Involved. Subscribe to our Newsletter.
