Category: Education

We’re supporting coastal communities to develop the skills they need to diversify their livelihoods and manage their marine resources sustainably, from school scholarships through to environmental education and technical training.

Condoms, crabs and cottonii seaweed: progress update from Belo sur Mer

From humble beginnings over five years ago, locally led mangrove fishery management initiatives are now flourishing in Belo sur Mer and surrounding villages, alongside community-based health promotion and alternative coastal livelihoods in the form of aquaculture.

/ Jul 22, 2015

Making my mother proud…

I feel like I’m gaining skills that will help me to accomplish my goals and hopefully continue to make my mother proud as well.

/ Mar 11, 2015

Through school I know that I’m capable of achieving much more…

I know that staying and finishing school will help me get somewhere where I’m fully satisfied. Doing something other than living day-to-day, doing small jobs, hauling cement or moving rocks. Through school I know that I’m capable of achieving much...

/ Feb 2, 2015

Girl power

My goal in completing school is to become a midwife. I see the need for women to have someone they can go to and trust with anything, especially young girls.

/ Jan 25, 2015

Dreaming of university

I don’t know of anyone else who had dreams of going to university as a kid. It isn’t something that many people from here do. No matter what happens, I have to keep trying, I have to find a way...

/ Jan 19, 2015

Education filled me up almost more than a bowl of rice…

Something magical happens. When I’m at school or studying in the youth clubs with Blue Ventures, it’s like learning is the medicine that cures my hunger.

/ Jan 12, 2015

Uncovering the hidden power of Population-Health-Environment programmes

Have you ever wondered how offering family planning to communities in Madagascar might be affecting the size of fish in the Mozambique Channel? Or how working with octopus gleaners may be impacting women’s use of contraception? Or how seaweed farming...

/ Nov 20, 2014
Vik shaking hands with Sir Crispen Tickell, with David Chenier (President, UK, ConocoPhillips) and Professor Louise Richardson (Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of St Andrews)

A victory for PHE: Blue Ventures wins the 2014 St Andrews Prize for the Environment

Against the elegant backdrop of the University of St Andrews, I spent an inspiring, exhausting, and at times terrifying three days, competing against two other finalists for the 2014 St Andrews Prize for the Environment.

/ Jun 4, 2014

What happens when animals go to school?

by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize As we (we being the BV Belize team) wait for our new batch of volunteers to arrive and join us for the third expedition of this year, we ‘re getting very excited. They arrive throughout the day, some...

/ Apr 30, 2014

Celebrating reef week in Belize

Every year, organisations from across Belize come together to organise “reef week”, with a range of activities highlighting the crucial role of coral reefs in the country’s economy, food security and cultural heritage. In Sarteneja, Blue Ventures celebrated the event...

/ Mar 17, 2014

What is biodiversity?

by Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize What is biodiversity? That was the question for grade 5 of the Sarteneja Roman Catholic school. We started the day with a trip to Shipstern Nature Reserve, home to a hugely diverse array of...

/ Mar 3, 2014

BV Belize’s conservation Christmas cracker

by Siim Maaten, BV Volunteer, Belize A couple of weeks before Christmas the weh di gwan (agenda) board in Bachalar Chico Dive Camp announced that while others are doing data entry and dives, Santa’s fellow-countrymen Kaisa and neighbour Siim (me)...

/ Jan 23, 2014

A summer of youth-led activities in Velondriake

By Paul Antion, Velondriake Education Coordinator, Madagascar    Our education team has been busy facilitating an expanded range of extracurricular activities during the long summer break in Velondriake, as this is a vital time to continue engaging our scholars in...

/ Sep 30, 2013

Nature on your doorstep: adventures on the Belize Barrier Reef

by Saskia Ponce, Centro Escolar México Junior College student, Belize Foreword by Jen Chapman, Belize Country Coordinator Centro Escolar México Junior College (CEMJC) is a Belizean tertiary education institution in the Corozal District. Its mission is to provide opportunities for students from...

/ Sep 4, 2013

Jump for change: fundraising for school scholarships in Madagascar

Last month Ukti Shah managed to raise a phenomenal £500 for Blue Ventures’ school scholarships by doing a sponsored bungee jump! We asked her to share some thoughts about this experience… Why did you want to support Blue Ventures’ school scholarships?...

/ May 21, 2013