Environmental Education for Kids
Donation protected
Hatta Island in East Indonesia is one of the few remaining places in the world with pristine coral reefs that are home for hundreds of species of fish, turtles and sharks. People here have lived mainly from fishing for centuries. As overfishing becomes a growing issue in East Indonesia and as tourism is also arriving on Hatta, it gets more and more urgent to help Hatta's inhabitants to benefit from tourism without harming the treasure they have, the island's natural environment.
I have contracted a small house at one of Hatta's beaches to turn it into an environmental education center for kids. This will serve two purposes:
A) It will be a place where kids can come to learn about the secrets that the environment of their island holds. They will learn snorkeling to discover the beauty of the underwater world and will learn that everything in the fragile ecosystem coral reef is connected, depending on healthy interactions between all components. They will learn how to reduce and recycle waste and why they should not throw it into the sea. With this, I want to prepare the kids to find a job in tourism or in conservation. The aim is to inspire them to think critically into the future.
B) The education center will be an example of a "green" building. It shall be equipped with a solar system to run exclusively on renewable energies. There is no public electricity network on Hatta but some houses use generators. I want to set an example of an affordable and environment-friendly way of producing electricity. The center will also be an example of a no-impact waste water system. A waste water garden will be set up together with the community to show how easy it is to recycle water and to avoid the input of nutrients into the sea....which would eventually kill off the coral reefs.
I have lived in Indonesia for 5 years and, while working on my PhD in Marine Science, have set up a foundation to protect the marine environment and to provide education. The Banda Islands, to which Hatta belongs to, have fascinated me due to their extraordinary beauty and due to the people I met here who really want to make a difference. I am sure that a small thing like the education center can create a huge positive impact....not only for the future of the kids that obtain education but also for the future of the coral reefs and the surrounding ocean, which is the livelihood for millions of people in Indonesia and worldwide.
To achieve my goal, I need funding for supplying the education center with a solar power system and waste water gardens and to purchase educational materials such as books and games. This is urgent as I can start working on the center in February 2017.
I would be very greatful if you could fund me and help the kids on Hatta into a bright future in which they are still able to enjoy the benefits of an intact nature.
I have contracted a small house at one of Hatta's beaches to turn it into an environmental education center for kids. This will serve two purposes:
A) It will be a place where kids can come to learn about the secrets that the environment of their island holds. They will learn snorkeling to discover the beauty of the underwater world and will learn that everything in the fragile ecosystem coral reef is connected, depending on healthy interactions between all components. They will learn how to reduce and recycle waste and why they should not throw it into the sea. With this, I want to prepare the kids to find a job in tourism or in conservation. The aim is to inspire them to think critically into the future.
B) The education center will be an example of a "green" building. It shall be equipped with a solar system to run exclusively on renewable energies. There is no public electricity network on Hatta but some houses use generators. I want to set an example of an affordable and environment-friendly way of producing electricity. The center will also be an example of a no-impact waste water system. A waste water garden will be set up together with the community to show how easy it is to recycle water and to avoid the input of nutrients into the sea....which would eventually kill off the coral reefs.
I have lived in Indonesia for 5 years and, while working on my PhD in Marine Science, have set up a foundation to protect the marine environment and to provide education. The Banda Islands, to which Hatta belongs to, have fascinated me due to their extraordinary beauty and due to the people I met here who really want to make a difference. I am sure that a small thing like the education center can create a huge positive impact....not only for the future of the kids that obtain education but also for the future of the coral reefs and the surrounding ocean, which is the livelihood for millions of people in Indonesia and worldwide.
To achieve my goal, I need funding for supplying the education center with a solar power system and waste water gardens and to purchase educational materials such as books and games. This is urgent as I can start working on the center in February 2017.
I would be very greatful if you could fund me and help the kids on Hatta into a bright future in which they are still able to enjoy the benefits of an intact nature.
Organizer
Mare Nhuh
Organizer
Oer-Erkenschwick
