Turtle heroes: Protecting Sea Turtles in Suriname

On Saturday, October 4, the Green Heritage Fund Suriname (GHFS) team set out for Galibi, together with an enthusiastic group of volunteers. The day started early, with the team leaving the city at 8:30 a.m. and reaching Albina around 11:30. After that, the adventure really began; strong currents and choppy waters meant the boat ride took longer than expected, and it wasn’t until 2:30 p.m. that everyone finally arrived in the village.

After a quick lunch, ten volunteers and several representatives from STIDUNAL, a local community organization, headed straight to Tijgerbank, one of the areas where fishing gear is frequently dumped by fishermen. What may look like harmless debris is in fact incredibly dangerous for nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. These nets trap animals, damage the beach, and obstruct baby turtles trying to reach the sea. The team collected 490 kg of abandoned fishing nets, along with 88 kg of additional waste. Every kilo removed represents one less threat to the turtles that return to these beaches year after year.

Meanwhile, another cleanup was organized in the village, led by GHFS in collaboration with SuReSur, STIDUNAL, a local organization for the sustainable development of Galibi, and Mijrisi Tours, a local tour operator. This activity brought together 32 enthusiastic local youth, parents, and GHFS staff, all working side by side to restore their coastline. By the end of the day, they had filled 50 bags with 108.1 kg of waste.

In the evening, community members gathered to watch short films created by local children as part of “Mi Torii, Mijn Verhaal” (My Story), an art and exchange project by Stichting Villa Zapakara. The kids had spent weeks learning stop-motion techniques and crafting spoken word poetry to narrate their own stories.

Maggie Scheimtz, who joined the GHFS trip and also worked on the project, shared heartfelt reflections about the creativity, confidence, and joy she witnessed while working with the children. One of the young filmmakers also spoke about his journey, from making the film in the village to travelling to Paramaribo to see it screened at the cinema.

On Sunday, Maggie hosted a theater workshop for the children of Galibi. After warm-up games and an icebreaker, the kids dove into the theme of storytelling, why it matters, and how stories help us protect what we value. They each wrote a short story about the environment or nature, created masks to bring their characters to life, and ended the day performing their own mini-plays. The smiles, excitement, and confidence on their faces said it all: these children have powerful stories to tell, and when they speak, the whole community listens.