By Binka Le Breton | Project Leader
Dear wonderful supporters,
Three years ago we had a dream. We wanted our school children to develop a new appreciation of the extraordinary rainforest in which they are privileged to live. We wanted to show them that science is one of the most exciting subjects they could ever study. We wanted them to understand how they could make a real difference in the world.
And, thanks to you, we've been able to fully fund our Junior Science program! Time and again you have responded generously to our appeals for help. Last September you helped us raise the money to buy a Kombi van and we can now take the students out into the field, even on those days when rainforest roads are muddy and almost impassable. In April you helped us raise the money to buy a new server and computer to house our GIS, so that Junior Scientists could access a technology that their teachers never dreamed of. Your donations have allowed us to buy scientific equipment to teach students how to monitor the health of our forest, soils and water, and share their findings with their families. You have helped us maintain our system of forest trails where we recently hosted 300 members of the local community to celebrate Earth Day. You have supported our forest nursery and our forest restoration projects. For the first time our night cameras have recorded the presence of mountain lion, ocelot, and margay – proof positive that our conservation efforts are bearing fruit!
With your help we are raising a new generation of young scientists, who in turn are influencing their families. And it’s looking like our Junior Scientists are unstoppable….. Next week the new semester begins, and a selected group of Junior Scientists will become Young Eco-Leaders. They’ll be taking their newly acquired skills into the Environmental Protection Areas to work with local farmers on hands-on conservation projects. Better conservation management means healthier food, forests, soils and water, attracts increased conservation funding, and opens the way to new economic opportunities to revitalize rural areas.
As a member of the Microsoft YouthSpark program, Iracambi is part of a worldwide movement to educate and equip young entrepreneurs. With your help we’re empowering youth to use their scientific skills to become drivers of change in their communities. We hope that you will stay tuned as our Junior Scientists become Young Eco-Leaders, and welcome you to continue to follow their achievements through our new Global Giving project: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/young-eco-leaders-powered-by-junior-scientists/
And once again, many thanks for your continued support. We couldn‘t do it without you!
with rainforest love, Robin, Binka, Gui, Diogo and the Junior Scientists - soon to become Young Eco-Leaders!
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