Project Launch:

La Cruz is a unique community on the northern coast of Peru with a wealth of natural resources and environmental treasures. Its cove is rich with a variety of fish and shrimp, and nearby semi-tropical forests and mangroves have earned the protection of the national government. But the beautiful community of La Cruz constantly battles poor trash management. This project helped youth in La Cruz, Peru gain a sense of passion and appreciation for their environment. Kids in a local youth club, Environmental Scholars, were deeply involved in the project. With a grant from World Connect, they designed and participated in many environmental project to benefit their community. They organized a local Environment Day Parade where they planted trees throughout the entire community and painted a colorful world map for their school. They gave talks to the community about topics like recycling and they created a competition between classes in their school to see who could have the most environmentally friendly classroom. The Environmental Scholars youth club also had the opportunity to lead the winning classroom on a field trip to Rica Playa to see first-hand the natural resources of their region.