Completed
Primary School for indigenous village, Amatopo
At the request of its village captains, Forest93 built a primary school in Amatopo, a Tarëno village in the far south-west of Suriname that had never had one.
In 2022, the Openbare School Amatopo was officially opened in the village of Amatopo, in the south-west of the Sipaliwini district of Suriname. Before this, the children of this indigenous Tarëno community had never had access to formal education within their village.
The project was brought to life through a close partnership between the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (MinOWC), the local indigenous community and the Green Growth Suriname Foundation, alongside several local and international donors. The government provides the school materials and the teachers. The school is part of what Minister Levens called “Education on Location”: children going to school in their own surroundings wherever possible. To maintain ecological and cultural harmony, the school building was constructed primarily out of locally sourced, sustainable wood.
The primary school opened its doors on 1 October 2022, together with the nationwide start of the 2022–2023 school year. It initially welcomed 20+ children under the age of 15 for daytime education. Recognising a broader community need, the school also hosted evening classes for local adults working to improve their literacy, and information sessions on a range of topics. By bridging this critical infrastructure gap, the Amatopo school project established a foundation for lifelong learning, community empowerment and sustainable development in one of Suriname’s most isolated regions, so that the community can keep living in the area and pass their knowledge of the forest on to future generations.
A second school followed in the neighbouring village of Coeroeni — see Primary School for indigenous village, Coeroeni.
Many thanks to Amazon Rainforest Retreat, Dean Gorré, Julius de Boer, Marcel Boudesteijn and Rotary Club Paramaribo Central for their support and advice, and to the representatives of the Ministry of Education who were actively involved in getting the project done.
In the press
- 3 September 2022, DWT Online: Trio-gemeenschap Amatopo heeft eigen lagere school
- 3 September 2022, STVS: Lagere school Amatopo feestelijk geopend
- 21 July 2022, United News: Samenwerking in P.P.P. verband levert nieuwe school op te Amotopo
- 6 February 2022, Starnieuws: Amotopo en Coeroeni in Zuid-Suriname krijgen een school
- 6 February 2022, De Ware Tijd: Amatopo en Coeroeni krijgen een school
How it unfolded
Collecting materials
The first phase started: selecting and collecting building materials around the village, including sawing the wood for the wooden school building. The local community is actively involved and helps wherever it can. From Alalapadu, Tarëno men skilled in sawing came to help.
Construction begins
Phase two began with the construction of the school building. The Ministry of Education arranges housing for the teaching staff near the school.
The school in Amatopo opens
The school building in Amatopo was officially opened in the presence of Granman Jimmy Toeroemang of the Tarëno, head captain Peppoe and captain Paneshi of Amatopo, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Dean Gorré and the board of Green Growth Suriname. Minister of Education Marie Levens sent a video message congratulating the community and thanking the partnership that made “Education on Location” possible.
Solar energy for the school
The school received its own solar energy system, so teachers can use beamers, electronic media and wifi in their lessons, and evening classes no longer end when the daylight does.
Contributors
The ambassadors who worked on this project, and what each of them did.
Dean Gorré
Supporter and adviser
Raised funds for the school build, and travelled to Amatopo to celebrate the opening with the community.
