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During the evenings at the Children’s Book Festival, many visitors came by the ACT booth to buy books and arts and crafts and to learn more about our programs. Among these visitors was a group from the Maria Boarding School—an institution that serves indigenous students who have recently arrived in the capital city from villages in South Suriname. These young people come to the capital to further their studies, because this opportunity does not exist in their villages.
Read MoreEvery Book 100 Times
Every year, ACT runs a booth in Suriname’s annual children’s book festival in the capital city of Paramaribo. During the festival, ACT representatives share more about our youth-oriented publications that emphasize natural conservation. These include the Junior Park Ranger series and “De Leerling van de Sjamaan” (The Shaman’s Apprentice).
Read More"Napopha"
March 27, 2015: By the final day of the Children’s Book Festival in Paramaribo, approximately 900 students had made virtual journeys to Suriname’s deep rainforest interior with ACT.
The Trio word “napopha,” meaning “thank you,” was frequently heard at the ACT booth, especially toward the traditional knowledge-keeper and healer Wuta from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu. ACT flew Wuta, an active participants in the Shamans and Apprentices Program, to Paramaribo to participate in the festival.
Read MoreFirst Aid in the Rainforest
On February 11, 2015, the shaman Korotai Puumona escorted sixth-grade students from the public school in Kwamalasamutu into Suriname’s deep rainforest interior. During the walk, Korotai–an active participant in ACT’s “Shamans and Apprentices” program–introduced the students to a range of medicinal plants. They learned about their forests’ rich ethnobotanical wealth as Korotai pointed out species that are used to disinfect wounds, stem bleeding, treat snake and spider bites, and more.
Read MoreACT Participates in Suriname’s Annual Children’s Book Festival
In March, representatives from ACT and a team of indigenous people prepared a booth in the form of a traditional hut for the Children’s Book Festival in Suriname’s capital city, Paramaribo. ACT’s festival theme is “A Journey to South Suriname. For the occasion, ACT brought a Trio storyteller from the indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu whose knowledge of traditional medicine is renowned.
Read MoreChildren’s Book Festival, We Have Arrived
On March 23, 2015, the Children’s Book Festival launched in Suriname’s capital city of Paramaribo. At 8:30 a.m., ACT’s Katia Delvoye received the first group of students for “A Journey to South Suriname”—an interactive experience in which students learn about the traditional knowledge of the indigenous and tribal communities of their nation’s rainforest interior.
Read MoreThe Green Education Kit Arrives in Kwamalasamutu
On March 11, 2015, ACT’s Katia Delvoye delivered a green education kit to a public school in the remote Surinamese indigenous village of Kwamalasamutu. The kit contains lesson plans and their related materials, including books about nature and the environment in Suriname.
Read MoreThe ACT Rainforest Plant Guide for Children
In March, ACT Education and Outreach Coordinator Katia Delvoye delivered ACT Suriname’s newest publication, “My Plants,” to public schools in Suriname’s interior. During her visit to the villages of Apetina and Kwamalasamutu, Katia distributed this second book in the Junior Park Ranger series and its accompanying poster and educational materials. The book covers the names and uses of local plants.
Read MoreJoint Project between ACT and the University of Utrecht Commences
This year, ACT and the University of Utrecht will commence a joint project designed to strengthen sustainable management to protect resources and biodiversity in Trio and Wayana territory. The priority areas will be defined through careful discussion with local indigenous communities. The project will run for two years and has a budget of 215,000 euros.
Read MoreShamans and Apprentices Gathering in Kwamalasamutu
In January, shamans from various villages across Suriname’s rainforest interior partook in a two-day evaluation of ACT Suriname’s Shamans and Apprentices Program. In addition to the presence of indigenous shamans, Ramon Awenkina—a maroon traditional healer from Gonini Mofo who specializes in bone-setting—joined the meeting.
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