The Iwokrama International Centre is pleased to announce that it has received 11 smart phones from the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) to support its STEM activities for its Wildlife Clubs Programme.
The Wildlife Club programme consists of approximately 17 communities and engages around 400 children (aged 4-17) from the North Rupununi. The programme exposes youth to areas such as land management, conservation, public speaking, STEM robotics and biodiversity awareness, amongst other areas.
This Wildlife Clubs programme is part of Iwokrama’s larger conservation leadership initiative where community youth are groomed from very young ages to assume leadership roles in their communities and at a national level.
CEO Dane Gobin notes “We are very grateful for this most useful support from CARDI. It will be put to good use in building capacity among hinterland youth, especially to support our Community Monitoring Reporting and Verification (CMRV) work which feeds into the national MRV.
CARDI, Officer-in-Charge, Mitchroy Thom comments “On behalf of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, it is my pleasure to participate in this meaningful handover of eleven cellular devices to our wildlife partners. At CARDI, we recognize that protecting agriculture and protecting wildlife go hand in hand. These devices will strengthen communication, improve data collection, and support timely reporting from the field—each of which is critical to informed decision-making and sustainable resource management. We look forward to continued partnership as we work together to promote resilient ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, and a healthier Caribbean for future generations.”
The Centre would also like to thank its partners, the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), for their continued commitment and support to the Centre and to the ExxonMobil Foundation for substantially supporting this programme over the last 4 years.
