Not only has Rosita’s life’s work kept Mayan medicine alive, but she has been instrumentally responsible for cataloging and preserving thousands of healing plants and trees through her work with Michael Balick and the Belize Ethnobotany.

A Word from Rosita

“My goals right now are to touch the lives of as many young children as possible, particularly in Belize and Central America. I feel that our programs in Belize can affect the lives of children to help them understand the value of the plants and how they are used by their elders. From there it is an easy step to teach them about the importance of preserving the environment.

Our Summer Children’s Bush Medicine Camps, teach the value of the plants that grow in backyards. We guide them to talk to their grandparents about home remedies for things like earaches, tummy aches and the benefits of herbal baths. We have hands-on practical sessions on how to take care of kitchen burns, sunburn, sprains, and earaches using herbal remedies in various ways. It’s our way to link children, the land and the plants. I hope to inspire as many children as possible to become traditional healers or to consider plant-based careers such as forestry, ethnobotany or agriculture.

For young people who choose not to go on to university level, there are many careers in the forest like gathering plants for healers or to sell in the market place. They can earn a living while making a contribution to their community as well.”