Our Work | Special Projects | Ongoing Campaigns
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006/2005 |
STD and HIV/AIDS Prevention Seminars
September 4 – 24, 2006: Maria Santos, an epidemiologist from Yellowknife, Canada, gave seminars to local medical doctors, police officers, high school students, and the general community, on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and STDs. The events were tremendously successful, drawing over 700 people to attend. Ms. Santos also performed surveys to assess local public awareness of these and other important health issues. Ms. Santos has promised to make a similar series of seminars on cancer when she returns. This project was coordinated in conjunction with the Galapagos Directorate of Health, and was covered in the media by local TV Channel 9 News, The Municipality News gazette, Radio Santa Cruz, and the El Colono newspaper.
Health Seminars: First Aid and Nutrition
September 19-26, 2006: Yose Cormier taught twenty parents the basics of first aid, which included how to prevent and treat burns, cuts, deep wounds, and shock, and how to react when someone is choking or is unconscious. Mauricio Pozo taught over seventy individuals about the fundamentals of nutrition, meal portions, basic metabolism, the importance of exercise, nutrition issues for women who are pregnant, and issues for infants and small children.
Galapagos Wellness
April 2006: Jessica Harvey, a kinesiology professional from Canada, worked on Santa Cruz Island for the one month, volunteering in the emergency room and pediatrics ward at the Puerto Ayora hospital. Additionally, she provided private physical therapy services to two elderly disabled individuals and one little girl with cerebral palsy, and counseled local senior citizens about exercises to improve and sustain their health. This program was accomplished with the assistance of the municipality of Puerto Ayora, the Directorate of Health, and the Patronato de Santa Cruz. Local TV news Channel 9 covered Ms. Harvey’s contributions to the community.
Adult Health Screening
August 14-17, 2006: Galapagos ICE was asked by Loma Linda School and the Municipality of Santa Cruz to help a group of 32 doctors from the World Health Services provide free health screening to over 1000 local residents. For this program, Galapagos ICE helped with organization and offered translation services. Residents were tested for glaucoma, cholesterol, lung fitness, blood sugar, and dental hygiene, and were educated about preventative health measures. The World Health Services also gave talks on high blood pressure and diabetes, two common health issues in the Galapagos. During coverage by local TV Channel 9 News, Puerto Ayora Mayor Leopoldo Buchelli expressed warm thanks to Galapagos ICE President Emily Pozo and the organization for their assistance with the event.
Galapagos Ecological Parallels: New Zealand
November 8, 2006: Galapagos ICE volunteers Amelia Howitt and Richard Cotter gave a presentation to 75 students and teachers at Delia Ibarra Elementary School on New Zealand and Galapagos culture and ecology. Drawing the children in with performances of New Zealand folk songs and folk dancing, Ms. Howitt and Mr. Cotter emphasized the similarities between the two Island cultures and ecologies. They underscored to the children that New Zealand had also been formed by volcanoes, and had once, like the Galapagos, had been home to many unique endemic plants and animals. But due to overdevelopment and lack of governmental regulation, New Zealand has lost much of that extraordinary habitat. Ms. Howitt and Mr. Cotter underscored that Galapagos residents (like the students, themselves, and their families) have an exciting opportunity to help protect their amazing natural environment. Local TV Channel 9 News, Puerto Ayora, interviewed the students in attendance, who expressed great enthusiasm about the event and the importance of conserving the natural treasures of their Islands.
Galapagos Penpal Program
November 2005 to May 2007: Galapagos ICE coordinated a penpal program between junior high, high school and college students in the Galapagos and students of similar ages in the United States. The participating U.S. schools and colleges were: Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY; TE Middle School, PA; South Brandywine Middle School, Brandywine, PA; Meadowridge School, Canada; and Peace College, Raleigh, NC. In this program, students studied each other’s culture and exchanged emails about ordinary life circumstances in two very different parts of the world. E-mails were translated by Emily Pozo and Spanish students at Peace College. While the interaction between Galapagos and U.S. students proved a rich experience for the American students, it perhaps had a more profound effect upon the Galapagos students. By answering questions from their peers half way around the world about the unique character of Galapagos flora, fauna, and ecology, Galapagos students became more aware of the significance of the Islands, and the need for ecological vigilance and care.
Galapagos: A Photographic Journey
November 2005: Joan Klatcho of “Kids Across the World” spent several weeks in the Galapagos making a photo-documentary on the lives of two Galapagos children: the son of a local fisherman (and student of Oswaldo Guayasamin Elementary School), and the son of a local captain (student of Colegio Miguel Cazares). Ms. Klatchco also organized an exchange of letters and questions between Pennsylvania students (of TE Middle School and South Brandywine) and Galapagos students, and posted a daily photo diary of the two students for the students in Pennsylvania. Jim Parker of Riverview Studios (NJ) captured aspects of the project on video. From their materials, Mr. Parker and Ms. Klatcho created a multimedia exhibition that was exhibited at the museum at the University of Pennysylvania. Galapagos ICE selected the Galapagos students, provided transportation, translation services, and cultural information for the project. Patronato de Santa Cruz, Galapatur, and Santa Cruz Municipality all helped organize the project. The students of Brandywine High School (PA) and TE Middle School (PA) also raised money to purchase basic school supplies for the students of Oswaldo Guayasamin Elementary School. The project was covered by local TV Channel 9 News in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, by Channel 6 TV News in Philadelphia, and by the magazine for George Lucas’ education foundation, Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/worldwide-rides-one-planet-schoolhouse).
Art Workshop in the Galapagos Highlands
July 17-22, 2006: Kerrigan Kessler, a fine artist from KTK Handmade in New York, and Jon Jerquist, a New York carpenter, surprised a sixth-grade class of an impoverished highland school (Delia Ibarra) with a three-day workshop on silk screening, with materials donated by Standard Screening in New York. Each student designed and screened his or her own T-shirt. Galapagos ICE sold prints of these T-shirts from this project and bought additional art supplies for the school with the proceeds.
ESL Teacher Workshops
July 18-31, 2006: Melissa Timko, an American elementary school teacher (and Teacher of the Year, Victor County, CA), ran a series of teacher workshops on classroom management strategies and proven class activities for ESL teachers at Colegio San Francisco. In addition to running the workshops, Ms. Timko also observed classes and offered pedagogical advice to teachers, and worked with Emily Pozo and the Directorate of Education to develop a stronger ESL curriculum for Galapagos elementary schools. This project was a part of an ongoing response to a request by Cesar Lombeida, Director of the Supervision of Education in the Galapagos, to help improve the struggling ESL program in the Galapagos school system. Local TV Channel 9 News in Puerto Ayora ran multiple segments on Ms. Timko’s workshops and the importance of ESL instruction on the Islands.
