The Bay

The community of Bahia Honda consists of approximately 40 indigenous Ngobe families with a total estimated population of 200. At the heart of the community is a small primary school with 80 or so students.

The Ngobe family homesteads of Bahia Honda are scattered around a mangrove bay on the leeward side of the island of Bastimentos, one of the 70 islands in the Bocas Del Toro archipelago.

The archipelago's spectacular beaches and lush tropical landscapes have in recent years caught the attention of the tourist industry and foreign investors. Although tourism has to some extent provided employment for the local population, the development boom has also prompted a dramatic rise in the cost of living. Many staple foods relied upon by local people are becoming unaffordable and there has been little improvement in basic sanitation, access to clean water, quality education and medical care. The influx of new residents from around the globe poses many challenges to the Ngobe peoples' way of life.

The Hooda Chi ('little community') program was started through La Loma Jungle Lodge in 2004. We operate at a variety of levels from meeting basic emergency needs, supporting access to education, enabling representation to defend indigenous rights, and empowering the community through sustainable projects and micro enterprises.

Most of our guests at La Loma donate generously to the Bahia Honda community through Hooda Chi, as do others who have not yet visited Panama but have heard about the program's work. Through these gifts we have been able to, for example:

sponsor students to attend high school (located on another island in the archipelago)

purchase many hundred of dollars worth of text books and classroom supplies for Bahia Honda primary school

cover the costs for individuals from Bahia Honda to attend local and national meetings and training events as representatives of the community

fund numerous community-wide celebrations such as independence day, mother's day (a national holiday in Panama), and graduation ceremonies

Support has come in many other forms, Guests of La Loma often arrive with school supplies, games and books. Other gifts have included many thousands of dollars worth of veterinary medicines and basic medical supplies.

The Bahia Honda egg project - through an introduction made by a La Loma guest we received a grant of $10,000 from the World Veterinary Congress to provide 20 families in the bay with a flock of chickens each

Soulsong Ngobe Dolls - with Hooda Chi as coordinator, a group of women in the community have formed a cottage industry creating fabric dolls. This is part of a larger project founded by Soulsong Enterprises Global Outreach Foundation www.soulsong.org

The Bocas Educational Service Organization (BESO) http://www.bocasbeso.info - donated $1400 for the construction of a rain catchment water system and essential repairs to the Bahia Honda school

The Bocas School Project. Bahia Honda has benefited greatly from being part of this scheme through which an English language teacher has been holding classes twice a week at the school. It costs over $4000 per year to run The Bocas School Project language classes in Bahia Honda. If you'd like to contribute to this scheme it can easily be done through their umbrella organization the One World Children's Fund. To ensure that your donation goes directly to Bahia Honda make sure to select "Bocas School Project" from the pull down I would like to support screen AND to add that your donation is for Bahia Honda in the Gift Information field. You can see a sample donation screen by clicking here. Finally please send us an email (info@thejunglelodge.com) so we can make sure that your donation is allocated correctly. All donations are tax deductible in the US and 100% of donations go to the children. There are no administrative costs.

New initiatives such as: adult education sponsorships (for Bahia Honda residents like Elvin, 25, an exceptional student who is desperate to become a doctor and Ostina, 46, who wants to get her high school diploma and study to be a lawyer to defend indigenous women's rights), an expanded program of ecology workshops, the installation of a solar system for the school and the purchase of laptops and wireless modems so all community members can explore the Internet and create a Bahia Honda blog, the purchase of composting toilets for the school (the kids currently use a stream behind the classroom) and the creation of a 'cabinet library' located in the community restaurant with books, magazines and educational games free for all to use.

If you would like to contribute to these areas or if there is a specific need that you have identified and would like to support, please send a cheque and a note detailing what you would like your donation to be used for to:

Hooda Chi Program
c/o Emily Ann
309 Pacific Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

Hooda Chi Program
c/o Margaret Ann
France Hill
Alfriston
East Sussex BN26 5XW
England

There is also the option of a bank transfer (though the banks will charge a fee) contact us at info@thejunglelodge.com if you'd like details

Or pay us a visit at La Loma

It's not just money we need! Your skills and contacts are also invaluable in sourcing items such as educational supplies, sports equipment and even things like laptops or a film projector. If you know of any grant giving organizations or funding programs to which we can submit proposals, or if your business or employer may be able to provide sponsorship please let us know.