Turtle heroes: Protecting Sea Turtles in Suriname

Hello, sea turtle friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating! Here in Suriname, we don’t officially celebrate this holiday, but its spirit of family, gratitude, and reflection resonates deeply with us. Today, we want to pause and share what we’re most thankful for, and how your support is driving exciting progress.

First and foremost, we are incredibly grateful for the Galibi community. Their kindness and willingness to support our efforts inspire us every day. Working with the children of Galibi brings so much joy as we see them grow into young sea turtle heroes, dedicated to protecting their environment.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the community leaders, who have warmly embraced us and joined forces in our mission to safeguard both their livelihoods and the environment. On October 31st, this partnership took a significant step forward when we signed a letter of intent together, formalizing our collaboration to find sustainable solutions for the community and the environment.

We are deeply thankful for our dedicated team, whose tireless efforts over the past 2.5 years have brought a critical project to life: preventing marine litter from polluting the Caribbean Sea. This vital body of water is home to many sea turtle species, and we officially launched this initiative on November 5th.

A special thank-you goes to the incredible stakeholders who attended the launch meeting. Their active participation and creative ideas are already shaping the future of this project, which aims to stop tons of plastic from entering the Caribbean Sea. While we’re just beginning this journey, the impact promises to be transformative for the environment, the community, and beyond.

Lastly, and most importantly, we are thankful for you, our amazing donors. Your continued generosity makes all of this possible. Because of you, we’re not only making strides in conservation but also preparing to celebrate a major milestone: our 20th anniversary in 2025!

This upcoming year will be filled with exciting projects and celebratory events, and we can’t wait to share them with you. As we reflect on all that we’ve accomplished together, we’re reminded that none of this would be possible without your support. Whether it’s protecting sea turtles, fostering community partnerships, or combating marine pollution, your contributions are the driving force behind our mission.

Let’s make the next 20 years even more impactful. Join us in creating a better future for sea turtles, the environment, and the communities we cherish.

Thank you for being part of our journey!

Hello, sea turtle friends! I’m back with an update on our activities, and this time, I want to give you some behind-the-scenes info on our educational initiatives, specifically the challenges we face working in a remote community.

In May, we visited Galibi for our usual vacation activities, which included a movie night and educational activities. First up was movie night! We typically organize these on the day we arrive. Leaving Paramaribo at 8 AM, we get to Galibi around 1 PM after a 1-1.5 hour bus ride and a 1.5 to 2-hour boat ride. Once there, we unload the boat, packed with our bags, educational materials, prizes for the kids like pens, notebooks, and reusable cups, plus ingredients for their lunch and snacks. Then we haul everything to our lodge—sometimes on foot for 10-30 minutes depending on where we're staying, or if we're lucky, an ATV helps transport our luggage (and occasionally us).

After settling in and having lunch, we review the schedule and take a quick rest. By 4:30 PM, we’re ready to go to the meeting hall for movie night, a 30-minute walk from the lodge. When we arrive at 5 PM, half the team cleans the hall and sets up chairs with the help of the children. There are always a few children who arrive super early, while the rest head over to the home of the local teacher, Ms. Nancy, who always assists us. She lives right across from the hall, so we store the materials, prizes, and food at her home. 

At 6 PM, the village gets electricity, so we set up our projector and check everything. And here’s where things went wrong for the first time —the hall's electricity didn't work! No problem, we quickly went into problem-solving mode and decided to move to a nearby government office with solar panels, a location we've used before. We relocated our equipment and had the kids bring their chairs over.

Movie night is saved! We set up, handed out popcorn and drinks, and started the movie. Ten minutes in… the power goes out. It comes back on, we restart everything, and then the power goes out again! We spent 30 minutes trying to fix it while keeping the kids entertained with songs and snacks. Sadly, the problem couldn’t be resolved, so we planned to try again the next night after they worked on the wires in the meeting hall.

The next day began with our educational activities. This year, our intern Merijn developed and led the activities. The kids made boats and raced them, learned about the importance of water, and played a water-soaked capture the flag/dodgeball game. We ended the morning with lunch and reminded them about movie night.

At 4:30 PM, we headed to the hall, set everything up, and at 6 PM, crossed our fingers. Yes, there was power! The movie night was a go! We started the movie at 7 PM, settled in with popcorn and drinks and enjoyed a movie about a group of migrating birds! 

Working in rural areas has its challenges, but after six years of fieldwork, we know how to handle them. Plus, it’s a great learning experience for our interns!

We thank you for your support, because thanks to your donation we can continue working with these children, who will ultimately be the sea turtle guardians.