We believe education is vital for achieving successful and sustained conservation, which is why education is one of the three pillars of our conservation approach. After all, we protect what we love, and we love what we know.
Our passionate Maldivian educators lead a diverse range of projects that connect people to the ocean and ocean conservation, aiming to building a generation of ocean guardians in the Maldives.
OCEAN GUARDIANS COUNTER
4526
People taught about the ocean through Moodhu Madharusaa, manta festivals, competitions or snorkelling and diving initiatives.
1000
Secondary school students, teachers and women taken swimming, snorkelling, or diving.
281
Secondary school students completed our 6-month Moodhu Madharusaa marine education programme.
MOODHU MADHARUSAA
OCEAN SCHOOL
We are fostering the next generation of Maldivian ocean guardians… who will take stewardship of their island environment.
We believe that encouraging children and their families to learn about and experience their natural marine resources is the most effective way to ensure the long-term conservation of the Maldives marine environment.
Many schools in the Maldives do not currently include subjects such as Marine Science in their core curriculum, so our team in the Maldives are providing the capacity needed to engage students with these topics.
Our Maldives Manta Conservation Programme (MMCP) has been delivering outreach initiatives to secondary schools across four atolls since 2015. Over time our efforts have grown in scope and ambition, ultimately leading to the creation of a fully-fledged education programme.
Our marine education programme, named Moodhu Madharusaa - which means Ocean School - aims to educate secondary school students about the environmental issues facing their communities and engage them with conservation solutions. We encourage experiential learning, supporting students and their communities to connect to the ecosystems on their doorstep through nature-based fieldtrips and swimming and snorkelling lessons.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure that people have a personal connection with their marine environment, an understanding of its importance, and a passion to conserve it.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
Moodhu Madharusaa is based on five modules:
Marine Ecology
Coral Reef Ecosystems
Marine Megafauna
Seagrass & Mangroves
Ecosystem Conservation
During theory lessons, our education team give presentations and run interactive learning activities in the classroom. Home assignments encourage students to share learnings with the wider community. Most importantly, each module includes at least one fieldtrip, which range from visiting protected mangrove islands to going snorkelling to get up-close and personal with the world beneath the waves.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Increase youth participation in marine activities
Our research shows many students, particularly girls, do not often swim in the sea or have never snorkelled before. It is essential that everyone has the skills to safely swim and snorkel if we are to instil a desire to protect marine ecosystems, so that’s where our fieldtrips come in.
Inspire intergenerational change
To successfully protect local environments, everyone needs to have a seat at the table. We work with schools, councils, and NGOs to discuss environmental degradation and action conservation solutions. We support secondary school students to develop creative ways to engage their parents, younger peers, and wider communities.
Equip students with skills to pursue environmental careers
In the Maldives, many environmental jobs are filled by non-Maldivians. Many young people are not aware of jobs in this field, or do not have the required skills to pursue them. We inspire students to pursue these careers by equipping them with skills such as swimming, snorkelling, data collection and analysis, and public speaking. We mentor particularly interested students, supporting them to gain internships and scholarships.
Research the effectiveness of our education programmes
We monitor our effectiveness at increasing participant’s marine environmental awareness, knowledge, and pro-environmental behaviour intentions; all of which have increase following each programme. We use this data to develop the programme, assess its impact, and evaluate its role in improving marine environmental conservation.
MAEESHA MOHAMED – MMCP BOARD DIRECTOR
"I was about 6 or 7 years old when I first saw a coral reef in real life, and that remains the most vivid image of a reef in my mind to this day. Perhaps not because the reef was so different back then, but the experience made me realize how surrounded we are by wonder. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go and explore the underwater as much as I wished until I grew up, but this is also true for many Maldivians, particularly girls.
We are coastal people living in a large ocean state, and our very survival is dependent on a healthy marine ecosystem. I believe that education and awareness, and actually showing them what they have in their backyard, are the keys to a future with environmentally conscious individuals who respect the ocean and are passionate about protecting it.
With Moodhu Madharusaa, we hope to inspire the next generation of ocean champions to do that."
NUHA RASHEED - MALDIVES EDUCATION MANAGER
"Despite learning how to swim at a very young age, I only witnessed our beautiful coral reefs for the first time on a school field trip. This experience was a turning point in my life as it sparked curiosity in the marine world and set me on the path to eventually becoming a certified scuba diver.
Scuba diving was the missing piece that truly connected me to the ocean - it gave me the wonderful opportunity to swim with manta rays and develop love for them.
I hope to provide similar opportunities for others through our marine education programme Moodhu Madharusaa, because it can take as little as one snorkeling experience or scuba dive to change people’s perspective and feel connected to their environment. This connection is crucial for the conservation of manta rays."
ZOONA NASEEM – Patron, mmcp board director
“I admire and appreciate the amazing work Manta Trust is doing with local communities in the Maldives and am excited to see the marine education programme continue to grow.”
BAA ATOLL MANTA FESTIVAL
In 2018, we launched the Baa Atoll Manta Festival, an annual event to bring communities across Baa Atoll and beyond together to celebrate and learn about the Maldives’ precious marine biodiversity.
Key Partners
MALDIVES NORTHERN ATOLLS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION EXPEDITION
2021
In 2021, the Manta Trust and MMCP team, along with colleagues from the Environmental Protection Agency, Maldives National University, Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, and One Blue Ocean, embarked on a 18-day expedition to research manta rays and deliver educational outreach in the remote northernmost atolls of the Maldives.
Watch video #4 in our Expedition video series to learn more about marine education in the Maldives and our expedition activities.
Thank you to Carl F. Bucherer for sponsoring this expedition.
The Climate Crisis and Me - ART & POETRY COMPETITION
Check out the amazing winning and commended pieces from the art and poetry competition we ran in 2021, which were displayed at our exhibition stall at the United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference.
EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH OCEAN OPPORTUNITIES
In the Maldives, some women and girls cannot swim, and many do not spend time snorkelling. Experiencing nature is one of the best ways to learn, so our marine education programme has always focused on providing swimming lessons and nature-immersive snorkelling fieldtrips at its core.
We are now taking this one step further by launching a 3-year, solutions-focused research project to improve women’s access to the ocean worldwide: Empowering Women through Ocean Opportunities. Exciting updates on this project coming soon!
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
Partners:
We would also like to thank those who have historically supported our marine education initiatives in the Maldives:
Support Marine Education In the maldives
With your support, we can expand our marine education programme, work with schools beyond the reach of our research bases, and move closer to delivering essential marine education throughout the Maldives.
SHOP
Purchase any t-shirt, sweater or tote bag from our Ocean School collection to help to support the Marine Education Programme.
DONATE
Make a donation to support our core initiatives and charitable aims, including marine education in the Maldives.
SPONSOR
Sponsor our Marine Education Programme and we’ll design a tailored sponsorship package to best benefit your business.
CYCLONE
Join a community investing in manta and devil ray conservation. Membership supports our work, including education in the Maldives.
Check out our Education Portal to access free environmental lesson plans, games, and videos, or to book a class for your students with one of our scientists.
