Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
1of6
Our core objective is ‘making a difference’ and joining us on one of our specially developed volunteer programmes gives you exactly that opportunity. It is within these strong communities that we set up our community run programmes, such as our Conservation programme, which is a 100% community run charity project. Currently this programme is running a Turtle Nursery and Head Start Programme, which tends and cares for countless sea turtles in preparation for safely releasing them at five months old. These types of initiatives are vital to consistently educate and encourage the local communities in embracing marine life, rather than unwittingly destroying it. Responsibility and sustainability is at the heart of our programme. We take volunteers to ours in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, ensuring everyone involved respects and maintains the natural and often delicate balance of the destination.
We believe giving something back is essential. We therefore work with our volunteers and the people we visit to ensure the benefits go directly to contributing to local cultures and environmental conservation. This is not only good for the communities we visit but it also gives our volunteers a more enriched adventure.
Supporting and involving local people
We recruit and involve local people wherever possible. Currently we employ three full time staff at the Marine Centre (previously unemployed Naifaru island residents), one island lady to assist aerobics part time and two part time island males to assist with the football as part of our island Youth Development Programme NGO's here in the Maldives work incredibly hard to provide better lives and opportunities for the islanders on very little funding, so additional donations such as money to provide sports equipment, goes a long way to keep a programme running. Last year, we funded the YDP football programme on Naifaru island which provided equipment plus 155 football shirts for participating youth, we sponsored volley tournaments and table tennis programmes etc.
Our supplies and equipment are purchased locally wherever possible. We utilise and set up local hydro phonic vegetable farms to provide additional vegetables to the volunteers and our staff. All fish provided for the turtles and of course our team are all caught by local fishermen. Most equipment at the centre including our sea station that we are currently building has been made using waste and recycled materials sourced on the island. We aim to work with partners who operate their own local initiatives.
We work directly with established island NGOs that have a proven track record of island run initiatives and programmes that benefit the community. We do not team up our volunteer programmes with individuals or profit making business, as we find that established NGOs really have the communities’ best interests at heart and are not interested in using volunteers to make financial gain or to replace a job that could have easily been used for a local islander. We only use small, family-run establishments for our volunteer accommodation. Where it is practical but not intrusive, we stay as guests of local families.
Environmental sensitivity: We assist in community led conservation programmes. We are efficient in our use of natural resources. We minimise environmental damage for items that can carry a negative impact, for example rubbish, as well as running regular anti-litter incentives and marine pollution program. We regularly run beach and coral cleaning initiatives with the use of many island volunteers, this of course also ties in with our marine pollution training. We aim to leave uninhabited islands and beaches in a better condition than we find them. We have a constant issue here in the Maldives with litter and in particular tourist safari boats throwing litter directly into the sea whilst tourists sleep. Of course litter and waste comes from many sources, but as an environmentally conscious organisation, we clean all of the uninhabited islands that we use. For example we have a small island located very close to Naifaru which we have been granted sole use. On a regular basis our volunteers, plus island volunteers travel to the island and sweep the beach of litter bringing it all back to the main refuse collection point in Naifaru.
Our group sizes are small, helping to minimise the cultural and environmental impact. We always abide by site specific guidelines pertaining to marine conservation, for example our volunteers will all be given training on starting our programmes on how safely to swim through the reef causing no damage. Volunteers will also of course be given full training on the specific care requirements of our turtles. All of course will be responsible in all areas to ensure that we act as positive role models pertaining to all relevant aspects of marine conservation. One of the core objectives of Volunteers is to lead by example and keep our own house in order. Our staff are aware of the importance of the need to reduce, re-use and recycle.
Everyone is encouraged to follow a set of guidelines, which cover simple but important measures such as conserving energy, minimising waste and reducing our carbon footprint. At present there are no recycling facilities here in the Maldives so we, at the marine centre, try to encourage all to waste as little as possible. Throughout the centre we use energy saving light bulbs and we are currently building a large sea station made entirely from recycled island waste materials. Our marine staff are also currently working on building a filtration system made entirely from recycled materials and water power. We have recently taken possession of the old fire building which has been converted into our Marine Centre and one of the points of the buildings proposal was to add solar panels to the building by the end of 2011. We run Youth Development Programmes on all the islands we work with, to provide vital sports activities and fitness for the youth in areas such as football, cricket, volleyball and swimming.
We also provide all the necessary equipment needed to run the programmes, as island communities do not have the necessary funds to provide such equipment. We directly employ currently three island staff to manage and run the Marine Conservation Centre, whom also are training as conservationists, working closely with our two Marine Biologist staff. We also run the centre with both island and international volunteers. Local volunteers are made up of school students, unemployed island youth wishing to improve their future employment and island adults that have an interest in conservation. We only use accommodation provided through the marine centre, family run guesthouses, or local homestays. We also pay for volunteers to eat at local small cafes. We are also running a programme directly with turtle poachers who previously made a living from selling turtle eggs for cooking and hatched turtles for house pets, but now generate an income directly from the marine centre by guiding staff to nesting sites and taking part in our educational programmes aim at adults and local fishermen.
Environmental responsibility
We are partnered in a community based NGO which runs conservation schemes such as Turtle protection which aims to preserve and increase the numbers of Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Green Turtles that nest across the country, but face daily threats from increased tourist resorts that are damaging and destroying nesting areas, poachers that sell eggs to be used in food, fishermen killing turtles for meat and also as they wrongly believe that turtles destroy their fishing nets. The programme also provides vital education through our centre staff and volunteers at all atoll schools, about turtle protection and other vital topics such as marine conservation and marine pollution etc.
We arrange regular beach and coral cleaning with the communities involvement and are in the planning stages for a new reef planting programme due to begin in January 2011. Social responsibility – e.g. details of: preserving local culture, visits to local projects, etc 100% of funds raised by the Marine Centre provide local employment and the set up of other vital programmes on the island. International volunteers must adhere to a strict code of conduct and agree to terms and conditions set by Our Volunteers to ensure that volunteers are fully aware of any religious differences and expectations of the local community.
As we are a 100% Muslim community, it is essential that any volunteers joining our programme respect this. Volunteers are expected to get involved with all community programmes and are encouraged to learn about the Maldivian culture whilst they are here with us. On arrival in the Maldives, volunteers will also spend one day and night with us where we can again go over important terms and conditions to ensure that volunteers are fully aware of what is expected, such as dress code etc. Through the Marine Conservation Centre we aim to sell locally made island products which provides another source of income to the island community and also encourages islanders to continue with making traditional handicrafts, which is an art slowly dying out in favour of importing cheaper goods.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
