The Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club) is an outstanding environmental group! Their goal is to bring together local children in environmental activities. This way they could become interested in the care of their local environment, San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. With such an inspiring goal and the amazing work, they’ve done with the children of the region, the club was awarded the 2019 Cornell Lab of Ornithology for Latin American and Caribbean mini-grant. The club was founded in 2018, and since then, they have been dedicated to the efforts to preserve the lush and beautiful nature of the country!
The Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club) usually go for walks to observe their local birds. The children get so excited when they are able to recognize the birds they encounter as they pass. They also observe other flora and fauna around them. They learn how to monitor birds and add their observations to the eBird platform. One of the most exciting walks for the participants was when they visited the Mirador Rey Tepepul to see the Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, as well as observe other extraordinary birds of the region. The children also improve the local habitat by growing native plants in the region. This helps attract hummingbirds and other pollinators present in the area.
The Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club) also holds small local conferences for children to learn to recognize their local birds. This helps them take pride in their birds! They visit local schools, where school children and young people participate in the activities with great curiosity and desire to learn about the birds in their community. In addition, children have the opportunity to draw their favorite birds with natural colors. At the end of these activities, the local adults, seeing the interest of the children, have also been joining the Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club). They want to learn and support bird conservation efforts!
On the other hand, members of the Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club) also work with phenomenal art organizations to help with activities with children. They work, for example, with the Colectivo de Arte Tzunun (Tzunun Art Collective ). This is a group of local painters who translate their works into beautiful murals. They also work with the Agrupación Convite Navideño. This group is dedicated to creating cartoons that appear on television, which causes sparks the interest of the children.
The Pequeños Pajareritos Club (the Small Bird Club) is very grateful for all the support and local interest that has been achieved in the community. They hope to continue their work, integrating more children and young people, their families and friends, to what is the care and appreciation of the natural heritage of the region.