Community Projects

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

We’re working with local communities to engage their continued support for our conservation programme. Initially this included things like donating books to the school library.We support long-term, sustainable activities that improve social welfare and generate alternative income for the community so that they don’t need to rely on fishing activities that damage their reefs.

When you’re not diving, you’ll be able to contribute to a range of projects at different times of year, but we also have on-going initiatives that are regular parts of the programme.

 

Existing/planned projects include:

 

Working with local community members

Working with local community members

Virgin coconut oil & soap production

Local women’s groups have been trained & given the equipment to extract pure, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, that can be bottled or made into soap, for sale to tourists and local resorts.
Volunteer contribution: helping with production and packaging.

Solar power for the local SMP school
Funding from Seacology has allowed us to provide solar power for the SMP school. This powers lighting and, eventually, charge basic laptops.
Volunteer contribution: installing the equipment.


English lessons for Junior High School students
We plan to form a ‘Let’s speak English’ club where local students can meet and talk with volunteers to improve their English through conversation and fun activities. Volunteer contribution: conversing in English, and taking part in activities such as snorkeling, gardening or cooking
.

Agricultural diversification and increased productivity
We’ve provided fruit tree seedlings and training to plant and care for them. We purchase local produce to encourage this diversification and supplement their diets. We hope to develop a vegetable garden in the village, as well as help the villagers improve their coconut harvest and increase income from coconut farming by using other parts of the coconut.
Volunteer contribution:  assisting with the vegetable garden development.

 

Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin Coconut Oil

Meetings with the local rangers who enforce the no take zones

Meetings with the local rangers who enforce the no take zones

Community Health Survey conducted by Sea Sanctuaries

Community Health Survey conducted by Sea Sanctuaries

 Support for sustainable, alternative business development

We’re encouraging appropriate new businesses to consider developing their activities in the Pam archipelego, with support from the local community. These are non-polluting, non-extractive businesses that will provide employment to local people and a lucrative alternative income to commercial fishing.

Community health facilities are generally in very poor repair, with no running water. We hope to help improve the infrastructure and the overall health and hygiene standards.

Got any specific skills that may help?

We’re always on the look out for volunteers with certain skills that can help us execute existing community projects or develop new ones. If you have any specific skills that you think might help then please let us know. The keys areas we focus on are:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Agriculture
  • Sustainable development

Find out more about Where We Are >