Mi Río, Mi Comunidad is a youth-led project developed in the coastal community of Río Salado, La Romana, where poor waste management has deeply affected the river, the mangroves, and the health of families, and through hands-on work with children, young people, and their families, the project focuses on reducing the waste that ends up in the river by combining environmental education, community composting, recycling, and river clean-up actions, transforming organic waste into compost that will be used to create and sustain a community garden that helps recover green spaces and strengthen local food production while children learn by doing, share what they learn at home, and grow as active leaders alongside their families who are equally involved in building solutions together.

Proposed Impact on Community: The project positively impacts more than 100 children and their families by reducing river pollution, improving water quality, restoring mangroves, and lowering health risks linked to waste accumulation while the community garden provides fresh food, creates shared spaces for learning and care, and allows children to strengthen their leadership, environmental awareness, and sense of belonging to the place they call home.

Motivation for Taking On the Project: This project was born from witnessing how a river that should give life has become a place where organic waste is constantly thrown due to the community’s difficult access to proper waste disposal and from listening to children who grow up surrounded by this reality and who simply want a cleaner and safer place to live, and Mi Río, Mi Comunidad reflects a commitment to youth leadership, dignity, and climate justice grounded in everyday life and lived experience.