The Helenians have had a hard time making a living from farming since they first arrived in the 1830s, much like the island’s earlier inhabitants, the Payan Indians. Fishing, turtling, lobstering and conching at a subsistence level were—and still are—an integral part of Helene culture. Each man had his small holding, or “ground,” where he would grow a couple hundred plantain suckers, dozens of holes of cassava and watermelons in season.

Much of this economic activity and these survival methods were commonplace across the Bay Islands. Two exceptions were lobstering and conching, which were developed extensively in St. Helene, mainly due to the island’s proximity to the extensive reefs surrounding Barbarat, Morat and Helene itself.

In the 1950s and ’60s — and long before that — lobsters and conchs were abundant. A short walk along the shallow bar at any given time could provide a family-sized meal. Wealthy people in the thriving city of La Ceiba, a six- to eight-hour sail away, learned of this and opened a window of opportunity for the Helenians by buying all the conch and lobster they could get.

There was one problem — the lobsters had to be kept alive. Catching them was the first task. Scuba diving was not even mainstream in the First World, let alone on a small, Third World island. Rudimentary diving equipment — mask, snorkel and fins — was unheard of, so small, open wooden boxes with glass bottoms were built and inserted into the water, allowing the lobster fishermen to see the antennae, or “whips,” of the lobsters extending from the rocks.

Once the lobster was spotted, a long wooden pole with a wire snare on it was slowly lowered. The lobster was carefully teased out of its hole and snared. This sounds easy, but imagine doing all of this while holding the small wooden dory steady over the rock in question

Lobster was carefully teased out of its hole.

The struggle didn’t end there. To keep the lobster alive, instead of pulling it into the dory, they were placed in onion sacks that allowed water to circulate and were towed alongside the dory. It was not worth making the odyssey to La Ceiba for just a handful of lobsters, so a trip there would represent several days’ worth of lobstering.

Where were the lobsters kept after they were snared and towed alongside the dory, you might ask? They were kept in a pen, or corral, that was built using palmetto logs. The lobsters traveled over to La Ceiba in onion sacks. Imagine all this work, and the lobsters used to fetch 10 cents. In those days, a single dollar could buy quite a bit. The lobster fishermen bought goods with the proceeds. Those included small luxuries like yellow cheese that they could bring to sell back home.

In the 1970s and 1980s, enterprising islanders who had gone to work on shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico with U.S. fleets came back with investors. They started seafood packing plants, and the Bay Islands’ shrimping and later lobster-trapping and diving fleets sprang up.

A couple of enterprising Helenians, Norin and Iverson Bodden, followed by Victor James, obtained kerosene-powered freezers and began purchasing lobster tails for export to the U.S. market. That made the process much easier. With demand rising, the lobsters slowly moved deeper to avoid the increasing number of eager divers. Lobsters could no longer be reached with the old wooden pole and snare.

The free diving era began in earnest and general stores in Oak Ridge— such as Gough’s and Lem Ebanks — started carrying masks, snorkels and fins. Those who had relatives working on steamships overseas would have diving equipment brought down. Hook sticks became a popular tool for catching lobster, and free diving became increasingly popular. Besides being a way to make a living, it was also a sport. Helenians developed techniques to expand their lungs before diving, allowing them to go deeper and stay down longer.

Islanders learned ear-clearing techniques to allow the divers to go deeper without having to pause to equalize. At the height of the freediving subculture in the mid-1980s, successful freedivers were capable of diving to depths of 12 to 14 fathoms, with ‘fathom’ being the popular term used by Helenians to gauge depth.

Islanders would dive on Honduran banks or reefs such as Alligator Reef, Coxcomb Reef and the Hobbies, and farther away in Colombian waters. These were magical places, days away from Helene, such as Quita Sueño, Serranilla and Serrana banks, and farther south into Sandinista waters to the Martínez Reefs.

A Nonprofit Provides Hope and a Chance at Owning a Piece of the Island

In 2004 the Abundant Life foundation was started with the idea to help islanders have a chance at owning their own home in a safe and vibrant community. “It’s not a housing project, it’s a community development,” says David Dashner, the man behind the vision and the project itself.

Dashner owns Grand Roatan, the islands soon to be first five star hotel. “I came not to do resort, but we got involved in philanthropy first,” says Dashner. “We provide sustainability and give an opportunity for an abundant life, for people of Honduras. We do this through three pillars of conservation, education and community development.”

Dashner is not only a businessman, but he is also an idealist with a mission. “It’s not the fact that you have money, it is what you do with it that counts,” says Dashner. “Look at the lives I’ve changed, look at the people I helped.”

It’s not the fact that you have money, it is what you do with it that counts

While Abundant Life Foundation is primarily a Dashner Family Foundation project there are other partners involved. Salvador Foundation out of Colorado Springs committed itself to building 15 homes a year for the next 10 years.

One hundred and eighty families were interviewed for the available homes. In early 2020, right before the government imposed “lock down” there were 15 families on a short list. The lock down brought chaos and doubt. From the 15 families that began the process, only four remained. While the process was long, complicated and frustrating, for the patient families there was a prize worth the effort.

Mari Hernández, a surgery nurse at the Roatan Public Hospital, was one of the four that persevered in the complex process. Her son Fabricio Hernández was fixing his motorcycle in front of their newly purchased home when. “A friend told me about the house program,” said Mari Hernández. The $5,000 dollar loan has to be repaid in 20 years. The houses are valued at $30,000 dollars.

The housing project it’s not only homes. It also includes security, grounds maintenance and home insurance. The homeowners pay a $60 homeowners fee and roughly another $60 for paying off the loan. They are paying around $120 a month in a loan that will allow them to pay the house off in 20 years.

The buildings are compact, rectangular 500 square foot structures made of foam, mesh and sprayed concrete, based on the idea “They will last for many, many years,” says Dashner. “We want to provide them a home their kids can inherit.”

By June 2022, 25 houses were built on the Flowers Bay site. Some of them are duplexes and made out of cement blocks, others are independent wooden homes with views of the sea and Honduran coast.

Dashner says that it costs around $24,000 to build each of the homes. While the houses are not free, they are affordable. They are then sold for $10,000, but with the Convivienda housing providing the $4,000 down payment. The government program provides a grant of 103,000 Lps. paid toward construction of the structure.

The development has a basketball court, a soccer field, a fountain, a playground, a computer center and a green area. The site incorporates a library, a computer center, a daycare center and a cultural center. “We are committed to enhance their culture and to remember their culture,” says David. “It’s important for people to remember where they came from.”

There are paved roads meandering the hilly project site. There is a school and a church, and multiuse buildings. The houses are set on the site purposely and are designed to encourage relationships. “At the center of the community we built a church and a school,” said Dashner.

I am really interested in healing this island.

A pastoral couple was hired to look after the church and community. “As this island develops a lot of things will be lost and forgotten and they shouldn’t be,” says Dashner. “I am really interested in healing this island and the surrounding islands.”

At the front of the property we want to build Roatan’s first public park. By reconnecting them they can work better at solving their own social problems. “It’s 100% a home housing development to provide housing for families that deserve a home on this island, but cannot afford it,” said Dashner. “I want to make sure they have an opportunity to own a piece of their own island while the island grows.” And Roatan is indeed booming.

While by far the biggest, “Los Sueños” is not the only project Abundant Life Foundation has done. The foundation built a school on Saint Helene island and also helped Saint Helena’s 61 ladies in selling artisanal crafts. That program generated $35,000 over the last seven years and the 61 Saint Helena ladies who participated received 90 percent of the sales price.