By Rut Roman | Project Leader
Since its beginnings, this community Library has been established as a safe place for the most vulnerable. Due to recent encroachment of violence connected with drug trafficking, we are very concerned about the boy's safety that is currently in dire risk. All our educational programs are transversed by gender equality, intercultural values and environmental awareness. We pay specific attention to teenagers ages 10-18, we believe that nourishing girls' self-esteem through reading, homework assistance, ESL, acting, dance, and sports will enable them to develop a healthy sense of their bodies and their lives as a territory they command. At the same time, we work with their young male peers in masculinity workshops and activities that will help them become aware, respectful and equal partners for future strong women.
With your help we provide educational assistance that increases school graduation and trains girls and boys for skilled labor and professions. Sports and arts programs open an array of healthy opportunities to mingle between genders. Our Library is an example other neighboring communities are replicating. Through alliance with conservancy organizations we hold an aquatic sports/marine conservancy program (snorkel, surf, diving) paired with marine conservancy training.
On top of all the natural disaster the town has endured, we are facing an increasing rise of violent crimes related to drug trafficking. A recent article including interviews with some of our patrons states: “ Homicides of Ecuadorians between the ages of 15 and 19 years old went up by 500% over the past five years.“https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2023/1011/Youth-violence-national-priority-as-Ecuador-votes-in-presidential-runoff
Once again, with your help we direct all our efforts to protect the most vulnerable. Our aquatic sports and marine conservancy program is a huge success. This project consists of a series of workshops followed by field trips to marine protected areas and communities that are involved in marine conservation along the coast. Fifteen kids have been selected to be part of this educational program, having an indirect impact in 15 families of the community. Kids learn and exchange experiences with these actors and develop skills such as snorkeling, diving, fish identification, coral nurseries, releasing baby hammerhead sharks trapped in fishing nests, turtle nests identification and visits to the mangroves. This program is encouraging them to protect their future along with the future of threatened marine species such as the hammerhead shark, which is still fished and consumed in this area. They will become the next generation of ocean guardians. Before each field trip workshops and educational activities are held at the library, to prepare students for the following field trips.
Maria Jose (30) a charismatic marine biologist who runs the program says: “this has been my biggest accomplishment as Coordinator of Educational Programs for Ceiba Foundation. Ceiba works in conservation, research and environmental education, therefore, being able to develop this project with the local Library connecting teenagers with their natural environment, promoting the understanding of the dry forest and the ocean, is an extraordinary achievement. I believe that people protect what they know and love. Personally, it has been extremely satisfactory to work with teenagers and see first hand, how they become our ocean and forest guardians.Besides promoting the understanding of ecosystems and the importance of preserving them, this project aims to open the horizons to the participants by showing them how they can dream and become anything they want and pursue different careers. My aim is to keep working on this project long term, increase the number of participants, create awareness among teenagers about the importance of protecting the environment and eventually see them happy pursuing their dreams.
https://fb.watch/ogKB8iPdlj/
Sincerely yours,
Your friends in Manabi
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