BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 28, 2016–Capistrano Sho, 30, from Blue Creek, Toledo, fell in love with Belize’s beauty when he became a freelance tour guide over 5 years ago, and last November, he established a Belize City-based alliance, named after his personal cause: “Paddling to Protect Belize Barrier Reef and Marine Ecosystem.” He names Rodel Beltran and Frederick Hunter, Jr., as his two important allies in the cause.

“When I became a tour guide, my appreciation for the life and the beauty of the sea grew. While snorkeling, I began understanding what fishes do and how important they are to the ecosystem—what they need to continue producing,” said Sho.

“As the years passed by, that is when I saw lots of Sargassum [seaweed] starting to flow along the coastline. People were also complaining that garbage was floating in the water. Fishes go and peck on them. It looked so sad that fishes are consuming what they are not supposed to,” lamented Sho, who is also concerned about the impacts of climate change and the phenomenon known as coral bleaching.

“I said, ‘How can I help?’ How can we help future Belizeans?’ I decided I had to take a stand, so I started writing about Belize’s ecosystem. I wrote a brochure about climate change and then started writing a book and then more than two years ago, I decided to launch my initiative,” Sho told us.

On August 6, he plans to paddle a kayak along the length of the Belize Barrier Reef. He said that he is paddling to raise funds to start a nationwide program to raise awareness about the Belize Barrier Reef and Marine Ecosystem, among young Belizeans.

“That’s my dream,” said Sho, who identifies himself as the executive chairman of the group.

“Our organization seeks to engage, educate, and empower youth to become agents of environmental and social change. Our vision is to bring environmental awareness and educational programs about Belize ecosystems for primary schools throughout the country of Belize, since we believe that the younger generation is strategically placed at an opportune time, as advocates for saving our Belizean environments,” said a statement from the group.

Sponsors can contribute to the cause by making donations to Belize Bank account: 695-1-1-80796, Belize City.

You can find Sho on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/paddlebelize or reach him at telephone # 667-6628. The email is: [email protected].