First Coast Cultural Center, (L.E.E.) St. Johns, United Nations #TeachSDGs, Rotarians help Hondurans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Nov. 15, 2023 - PRLog -- Donna Guzzo, President and CEO of First Coast Cultural Center, President and CEO of Language Exploration Enrichment (L.E.E.) St. Johns, and United Nations Ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals (#TeachSDGs) recently returned from a humanitarian mission to rural villages in Honduras. Guzzo traveled to the Central American region with Sherry Mahoney and Byron Miller, fellow members of Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. They helped to provide clean water projects, improve latrine facilities, install filtration systems, and additional projects in Chichimora, Comayagua, Danli, La Palilleria, and Maraita. Through Guzzo's organizations, she provided educational and art supplies to children and schools in the rural locations.

Guzzo, Mahoney, and Miller also focused on teaching local children and adults, village leaders, and local school teachers about Water and Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) methods initiated and funded by worldwide Rotary Clubs, Rotary International, and Pure Water for the World programs. WASH projects include services such as renovating toilet facilities and introducing fresh, clean water through household filtration systems for food preparation, drinking, personal hygiene, and handwashing, among others.

Additionally, Guzzo, a Latina and fluent in Spanish, the opportunity to travel to Honduras helped the United Nations with its goal to bring potable water to people in rural communities. In her role with the L.E.E. Spanish program, she and the organization's Vice President Janet Robles will incorporate key activities from the trip into the Spanish curriculum by teaching northeast Florida children about the culture of Honduras and its people. For seven days, Guzzo and her team travelled approximately two hours by truck from the more populated towns where they stayed to the rural mountain villages. Hygiene kits were also distributed to men, women, and children in the villages.

According to Miller, who recently retired from the water purification industry in the U.S., as one of life's important necessities, water is pivotal in determining poverty status. "Access to clean water can increase food security and the probability of gaining employment. Unfortunately, more than two billion people lack access to clean water, leading to millions of medical conditions with cholera and a plethora of neglected tropical diseases," said Miller.

As an educator, Guzzo will include #TeachSDGs global goals and activities from throughout Central America with a myriad of activities at First Coast Cultural Center and L.E.E. classes in 2024. For more information, contact Donna Guzzo at (904) 280-0614, ext. 1201, email dguzzo@firstcoastculturalcenter.org. Visit the websites at  https://firstcoastculturalcenter.org and http://leestjohns.pbworks.com.