Our involvement
We’re deeply committed to working with the Bahia Honda community to improve the lives of all who live here. In practice, this means a lot more than fair wages and charitable donations. Over the past decade we’ve collaborated closely with residents to establish a number of community development projects. Through education, environmental awareness, heath, cultural pride, and income generation programmes, we hope to help empower people to overcome the many obstacles of daily life.
In 2011, our community work in Bahia Honda received a huge boost as we partnered with a non-profit organization, Education is Power, a foundation established specifically to fundraise for educational programmes in Bahia Honda.
We also work closely with Give and Surf, who recruit volunteers to work on the ground to deliver many projects both in Bahia Honda and throughout the Bocas del Toro archipelago.
Bahia Honda
Bahia Honda, the bay in which La Loma resides, is home to roughly thirty indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé families, with a total estimated population of close to 200. The Ngäbe family homesteads of Bahia Honda are scattered around the deep mangrove bay on the leeward side of the island of Bastimentos. At the heart of the community is a small primary school with 50 or so students.
Help us to continue making a difference
Many former La Loma guests donate generously to the Bahia Honda community, as do others who have heard about our projects. Through these gifts, and through the help of collaborative organizations, Bahia Honda now proudly has:
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A preschool, ‘Monso Chi’, with 20 delighted students
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A playground made from recycled materials
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An afterschool club with sports and arts activities and lots of English language conversation
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10 families with new flocks of chickens and new coops
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Solar power installed at the school, 3 laptops, a projector and stereo
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A fully equipped junior baseball team
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Sponsorships for 10 high school and university students
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An adult English language group
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Countless donations of books, school supplies, clothing and medicines
If you’d like to support Bahia Honda, you can make a tax-deductable donation online.
If you have a little space to spare in your bag, please consider participating in Pack for a Purpose, a wonderful initiative to bring low-cost and extremely beneficial items to local communities.
