Janine Licare
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Originally born in the United States, Janine Licare, 15, moved to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, when she was four and has lived there ever since.
At the age of nine, Licare and a friend made and sold arts and crafts, deciding to donate their earnings to help save Costa Rica’s rainforests. They sent the money away and, when they followed up on it at a later date, were told there was no way to track the donation and it had probably been eaten up by “administration costs.”
Frustrated and disappointed, the two friends started their own foundation, Kids Saving The Rainforest, setting it up so people could see the direct results of their donations. Six years later, Licare is running the flourishing foundation on her own.
The foundation has enjoyed much publicity through local and national television, as well as teen and environmental magazines and newspapers. Licare is the only human being ever to be featured on the cover of Wild Magazine, and she has also been featured in the magazine National Geographic Explorer!