On 6th April 2022, a mixture of rainy to a sunny day, our team of Aqua-Farms Organization headed to Mtakuja secondary school located at Kunduchi in Dar es Salaam for a mission dear to our hearts of inspiring the next generation of “well-informed” mangrove conservationists. Mangrove is one of the most underrated coastal ecosystems in terms of their ecosystem services to daily human lives especially those living in the coastal areas, therefore awareness programs conducted by our organization are paramount for the sustainability of these ecosystems.
Mtakuja secondary school is in the vicinity of the Indian Ocean and endowed with a rich mangrove ecosystem and its associated biodiversity around it. About 100+ students “actively” took part in the awareness program imparting a deep understanding of the dynamics of mangrove ecosystems that surrounds them and how they can take part in their protection.
Aqua-Farms Organization aims to reach 700 secondary students residing near the coast of the Indian ocean at the end of 2022. The Aquatic Resources Education Program (AREP) is a program initiated for creating the next generation that cares for the aquatic environments surrounding them. through the provision of education to secondary school students.
What’s our next move?
“Kondo secondary school will be the next targeted group to receive training on mangrove education, as Mtakuja secondary school welcomed us and show their readiness to learn, we expect from Kondo secondary school” ~ Halima Mkoma (AFO Project Officer)
We thank Mtakuja secondary school for their warm welcome and we are looking forward to creating an impact on other coastal schools in Tanzania for the sustainability of our mangroves, their biodiversity, and other coastal ecosystems at large. We thank the support from World Wildlife Fund for Nature Program (WWF-EFN) for their support in inspiring the next generation of mangrove conservationists in Tanzania
See snippets of the day in this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hUJQVyXogk
We shall keep you posted on our next move
For inquiries/support contact our program lead: info@afo.or.tz
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Authors: Yusufu Kasato & Nancy Iraba