The project had a variety of objectives, including the carrying out of an education programme in the area for sighting cetaceans, inspiring educational activities and respect for the cultural heritage of the community, collaborating hand in hand with local experts to promote activities that would create a new model of ecotourism.
… And we won! A grand total of 30,000 votes were received by our project; thousands of votes that showed us once again that unity is strength and that, together, it is possible to work for a better Earth, for a new Earth.
Today we are here to tell you that the project is continuing to make progress, so that you can participate in each step, and to keep you up to date and demonstrate that your effort has been worth it. Because the objectives are being achieved!
Members of the WDC staff continue tirelessly with the tests on the boats adapted to carry up to 18 passengers to experience the unforgettable moment of sighting whales. At the same time, the education programmes in the schools continue to expand with outstanding success, having already reached 6 schools in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which means an impact on more than 300 students to date. The programmes are led by 10 local educators who will also be responsible for implementing these in other local schools.
It is a goal that includes planting the seeds for a new way of thinking and doing, and whose testimonies bring us special satisfaction:
“Students here grow up listening to stories about their parents (and grandparents) hunting for whales, from humpback whales to killer whales, pilot whales (locally known as blackfish) and many species of dolphins. So when I share with them the idea that whales are mammals, and therefore very similar to us in many ways, you can see the fascination on their faces. Each session ends with a question and answer session so we are completely convinced that our information is having an impact on how the students feel about whales ... Do they sleep? How do they recognise their friends? How long do they live? If a whale is killed, do the others cry? Few things are more humbling than seeing how the transformation of a way of thinking occurs before your own eyes ...”
Now, thanks to you, to TERNUA, WDC and EOCA, whales are once again the key to the economic future of these communities, but this time through conservation, their sightings, and their protection ... With the unshakable hope that it will be the children of today who, through programmes like this, create their own stories to tell their children and grandchildren in the future.
THANK YOU again,
TERNUA
For a better Earth. A new Earth.