Manatee Ecological School

"The Manatee Ecological School is focused on ecological activities-studies. It endeavors to uphold indigenous cultural traditions, earth honoring values, and to contribute to the discovery of innovative modes of learning in the school, at home, and in the community"
--Jenny C. Toscano, NCA Program Coordinator,
anthropologist and teacher

Being a good steward of the Earth is at the heart of all our missions at Native Cultural Alliance, Inc. To achieve this important goal, NCA is developing sound environmental programs for our youth and is continually making positive steps to protect and preserve ancient cultures that are the living examples of time-tested, earth-honoring practices.

Children are our beneficiaries
Children are the future carriers of earth-honoring wisdom. They need to be shown, both through example and through environmental studies, how to live in balance and harmony. By teaching the children positive lifestyle patterns when they are young, we empower them to live healthier, more sustainable lives.

To address the need for environmental education, NCA has joined in partnership with the Nossa Senhora de Fatima community to establish the Manatee Ecological School (MES). Located in the Amazonas region of Brazil, the Manatee school currently has a capacity for 30 students ranging in age from 4 to 12. The curriculum at the school is designed to help preserve the rich cultural heritage of the students while teaching them practical knowledge about the local flora and fauna.

NCA participates in curriculum development, provides educational supplies and nutritional support for the students, and strives to reinforce the traditional school curriculum with ecological and recreational activities.

The Manatee Ecological School is one way to preserve, through education, the intellectual wealth of an indigenous culture whose people share a common vision of the future, one where the man-nature concept is whole and indivisible.

Where is the Manatee Ecological School Located?
Approximately 1,500 people live in the rural community of Nossa Senhora de Fatima. Situated along the beautiful Rio Negro River, ninety percent of the people living in the community come from native villages throughout the rainforest or along the riverbanks. Twenty five percent of the population is comprised of children between the ages of 3 and 7. Due to limited government subsidies, there are no pre-literacy programs available to address the children’s critical early learning years. The existing funding is also inadequate to support ecological or environmental studies within the school curriculum.

Why is the school named after the Manatee?
"This project was named in honor of the beautiful mammal, the manatee (Trichechus inunguis), heavily hunted for years for its flesh, hide, and oil, but which is now protected under federal law. The Rio Negro (Black River) fronting the community of Nossa Senhora de Fatima, is a free and natural reserve for the manatee."
--Jenny C. Toscano, NCA Program Coordinator, anthropologist and teacher

This area serves as a free and natural reserve for the Manatee. The curriculum at the Manatee Ecological School will stimulate young people and raise the consciousness for the protection and preservation of the Manatee, as well as other endangered species of the Amazon Rainforest.

Objectives of the Manatee Ecological School

To reinforce the traditional school curriculum with environmental education, ecological activities and the re-learning of cultural traditions. The program focuses on an appreciation of our natural environment and an awareness of utilizing and protecting even its most elemental forms of life. This style of learning helps children develop a personal relationship with nature, which enables them to create a life long commitment for future generations.
To teach the traditional folklore (art, music, dance, myths, legends. etc.) and the indigenous vocabulary of the area’s native people, with students participating in a wide variety of hands-on cultural activities.
To teach an understanding of interdependencies amongst the area’s wild and domestic animals and plants: enumerating them, and learning the causes and dangers of extinction.
To support teachers, parents and students working together to create materials from the natural environment. Using raw, natural, safe materials that exist within the rainforest, the students will be learning an applicable, sustainable mode of conservation in their daily lives.

How the project is financed
This project is funded by private donations and is coordinated and overseen by Native Cultural Alliance staff. You can join us in our mission by volunteering your time, participating in our programs, and encouraging your organization or company to support us. Please contact NCA for details. Individuals wishing to contribute to the Manatee Ecological School, or any of NCA’s programs, please visit the Support us page.

Volunteer Program
Native Cultural Alliance is committed to preserving the culture and traditional ways of the native peoples of the Brazil-Amazon rainforest, and to conserving and safeguarding their environment for future generations.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of NCA’s mission, especially at the Manatee Ecological School. The MES currently needs additional funding and manpower to achieve their goal of preserving mankind's ancient relationship with the earth.

As a volunteer you will be able to:

Interact with MES teachers and staff on curriculum development and ecological activities
Participate in daily greenhouse activities such as planting, plotting, and watering
Greenhouse maintenance, building or restructuring to create new spaces
Assisting teachers in the educational activities at the school
Assisting parents with the cooking or serving of meals for the children
Sharing a personal skill or ability with the students, such as teaching English words, computer skills, photography etc.

While at Tarumã Sanctuary, volunteers have an opportunity to learn about native medicinal plants and visit local native schools, artisans and handcrafters.

Program home base
The Manatee Ecological School is located at Tarumã Sanctuary in the Brazilian Amazon. It is nestled along the coast of the Rio Negro (Black River) near the Nossa Senhora de Fátima Community, 38 km northwest of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas-Brazil. Accessible by riverboat, the sanctuary comprises almost 25 acres of tropical rainforest. There are open fields, trails, iragapes (small lagoons), swamps, and plains. Tarumã sits in the midst of a wonderful native community, and is a refuge for wildlife.

Acommodations
Housing is in traditional native huts with hammocks. There is running water on site for washing, showers, and toilet facilities. Electricity is intermittent. Three meals a day are provided.

Funds
You will be provided a small sum of money to facilitate your purchase of materials for ecological activities with the students. Many supplies can be purchased in Manaus at reasonable cost.

General requirements for volunteers
Age: 18 +
Number of volunteer positions available: 4-6
Volunteer placement duration: 10 to 14 days
Working hours: Monday to Friday, up to 5 hours a day. The rest of the day is free for personal endeavors
Knowledge of basic Portuguese is helpful. Enthusiasm, a positive attitude, resourcefulness, and flexibility are all important qualities to bring with you. You should be in good health, enjoy working outdoors and be comfortable living in a wilderness environment.

Placement Fee
Varies depending on the length of the volunteer program

Donations
Monetary donations are always welcome and help to support all MES efforts. Please download the NCA contribution form to make any desired donation.

Benefits of volunteering
Being able to spend quality time in the spectacular healing environment of the Amazon rainforest is a memorable, life-changing experience. Touching the lives of the children of this wonderful native community will enrich your life in more ways than can be imagined. The smiles, hugs, and excited laughter of children who so readily embrace you into their world, teach each of us what is truly important in life.

The Coordinator group will take you on a cultural tour to different communities to give you a taste of rainforest life, food, music, and culture. You will also have the opportunity to stay overnight with a local family in a traditional community.

Contact
If you have any questions or comments about volunteering, or would like more information about short-term service projects, please contact NCA at: info@nativeculturalalliance.org


Many children in the Amazon already enjoy a close relationship with the natural world around them. With the help of programs such as the Manatee School, they will become the guardians and keepers of the rich natural treasures of the Amazon's rainforests.	Several of the Manatee School's programs will soon focus on the cultivation, preservation and usage of the local edible and medicinal plant life, as well as archiving this valuable soon-to-be-lost information for future generations here and around the world.	These "riverine" children, who live near the banks of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers, proudly display their beautiful and exotic pets. The Manatee School will assist them in enumerating and conserving the area's wild as well as domestic animals.