Discover! Children's Bush Camp In Belize

When Rosita Arvigo’s mentor, Don Elijio Panti, passed away in 1996 at the age of 103, she had a dream that occurred at the moment of his passing. It was exactly 6:10 am in the morning and Rosita had gone to stay with friends close to his village of San Antonio so she could get back to his bedside first thing in the morning.

In the dream, Rosita saw Don Elijio lying on the floor of the room panting and finally took his last
Dying breath. In the next moment he rose up from the floor a young man of about twenty with no wrinkles or grey hair. He sat on the bed next to her, gave her a big hug and a kiss and said, “I love you Rosita”. With his hand, he pointed to the corner of the room where a child sat on a small stool. Rosita recognized the child as Gonzalo. Gonzalo’s face changed to Maria. Maria’s face changed to Pedro. Pedro ‘s face changed to Juana and so on. Don Elijio said to Rosita;
“Take the children as though they were your own. Train them and teach them to help each other.”
Thus was born the children’s summer Bush Medicine Camp that has held twelve two-week sessions thus far since 1998 in fulfillment of Don Elijio’s dying wish.

Bush Medicine Camp invites 24 Belizean children from ages 9-12 to a unique two-week experience learning about medicinal plants and old-time traditional healing. Children learn to treat common problems like baby diaper rash with a herbal bath made of hibiscus flowers; ear aches with the juice of Spanish thyme leaves; ankle or wrist sprains with a poultice of Obel leaves and headaches with a poultice of hibiscus flowers and gumbolimbo leaves. Children also learn to give a head and neck massage as well as a herbal foot bath soak and foot massage. Other summer camp projects include planting fruit trees in back yard neighborhoods; preparing a medicinal plant garden; cultivating an organic vegetable garden.

Some children are very inspired by what they do and learn at Bush Medicine Camp. One twelve-year old boy set up his own little clinic at his church and actually sees his own patients using the simple home remedies he learned at camp. Others were encouraged to seek out their elders and grandparents to find out how they use plants for healing. Parents report that they love getting the massages and that some of our campers have been able to cure themselves of their h eadaches, skin rashes and tummy aches using plants and remedies learned at summer camp.