Yes - we are still here! Hard work on the ground means less time for behind-the-scene updates, but we are making progress and excited to share it!
Back in early July, we had our first after school session with our new group of Campo de Accion students from Eloy Alfaro high school. Campo de Accion is an after-school government program that requires students to participate in a community service program, such as the Bahia Eco-Club. Every Wednesday, our team of facilitators in addition to alumni volunteers host a three hour session with 30 high school aged students as we explore themes of environmental education and leadership development through our Eco-Club programming. Read on to learn more about our first few weeks with our group of highly energetic, smart (sometimes too smart), and hard working students!
Slideshow: Students moving our trees to our newly constructed Vivero/Nursery, our reforestation workshop, and planting their first trees outside their classroom! Trees include native tropical-dry forest species (Algarrobo, guachapelli, tierra de monte), and fruit trees (mandarin, guava, soursop, mango, and avocado).
Phase 1: Reforestation
Because the school site of Eloy Alfaro was heavily impacted by the 2016 earthquakes, the students currently attend classes in small portable classrooms, which occupy only a quarter of the original site’s blueprint. The portables are small, and heat up quickly, and a lack of shade around the high school’s perimeter makes it difficult for students to comfortably focus.
By beginning our sessions with a series of lectures explaining Bahia’s tropical-dry forest ecosystem, the importance of native species, the tree life cycle, and the elements required for a plant to grow and thrive, we put our theory to action, and working in teams, had each student dig a whole, prepare their soil, and plant their tree. By giving the students the tools necessary to understand the process of forestation, and the value provided by these trees (for them - shade, cooler classrooms, and for many of them, fruit!), the students develop a relationship of responsibility - to their own trees, and by extension, trees in general.
Phase 2: Environmental Consciousness
One major challenge in this region is the lack of an environmental conscience. Our very first day, we assigned a group of students to collect trash along the campus perimeter to clear the area for planting. What they found left them stunned and impassioned - every day, students toss their trash “away” out the windows of their classrooms. As it turns out, “away” meant heaping piles of mushy trash that collects in the weeds, and now around their beloved trees! When the students realized that someone had to clean this up, and they were that someone - well, we now have an organically powered trash education campaign circulating through the classrooms!
Ongoing: Construction
In addition to our Wednesday workshops, we continue to meet every Saturday morning in order to work with our loyal alumni that make the trek back to Bahía from their respective universities to continue to help out. In July, our team took on the tedious task of building our vivero, tree nursery, structure - harvesting, cleaning and transporting the bamboo - measuring, sawing and attaching the columns - and finally, building the actual structure, concrete, shadecloth and all. We are so grateful to our committed volunteers that feed our program with their hard work and their energy, and ensure that the infrastructure exists to continue to allow new environmental leaders to be born!
Funding
While we are in the process of non-profit and grant applications, we are reaching the ends of our funding. We are so appreciative of all your support so far, and ask that you please continue to do so by following us on social media, sharing this post, and if you can donating to our campaign.
Help us continue to bring environmental education to a country most impacted by universal climate change, where the strength of youth empowerment and environmental leadership may be the deciding factors of the future of our planet.
And stay tuned for weekly updates! Thank you!