School and Education Project Barbados
Since 2018 Petra Bellamy teaches in schools on Barbados on the basis of the school program of the Humane Society Dominica. December 2023 a volunteers program started in support of the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary. The volunteers inform and educate people of all age groups during numerous events and activities in and out of Ocean Acres in order to improve their attitude towards animals.
Experiencing Animal Welfare Up Close:
Summer Camp in Barbados (Aug./Sept. 2024)
by Hannah Brandl and Luisa Mayer
In the summer of 2024, we, Hannah Brandl and Luisa Mayer, traveled to Barbados as part of our “Intercultural Projects” initiative (an international program within our teaching degree) to support a unique animal welfare project. Our mission was to volunteer at the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary and organize a summer camp for children that combined animal welfare education with creativity.
What we experienced in those eight weeks left a lasting impression on us—especially our time working with the children.
A summer camp dedicated to animal welfare
During the last two weeks of our stay, we organized a summer camp at the shelter for two different groups: first, we worked with children with learning disabilities, and then with children aged 10 to 14. Our goal was to teach them about treating animals respectfully and to give them a hands-on experience of daily life in an animal shelter. Each day of the three themed days focused on a different shelter animal:
one day for dogs,…
…another for cats,…
…and another for turtles.
The children engaged with enthusiasm from day one.
Playing with the puppies, in particular, brought smiles to their faces…
…and underscored for us the role of animals as both companions and beings deserving of care.
Creativity and animal welfare: A successful combination
One of the camp’s highlights was the creative work that combined art with animal welfare themes. Generous donations from Germany, organized through the animal welfare organization Der Kreolische Hund, provided a wealth of materials.
from puzzles and stickers…
…to colored pencils.
That transformed the shelter into an artist’s paradise for the children.
These supplies gave the kids countless ways…
…to express themselves artistically while also showcasing their love for the animals.
A particularly creative project was our participation in the “Mug Competition” for World Animal Day. The children designed mugs with animal themes and animal welfare messages, each telling its own story and reflecting the joy they found in the camp. This mix of crafting and animal advocacy was a completely new and enriching experience for them.
Responsibility and joy combined
What impressed us most was how quickly the children embraced responsibility.
They helped care for the animals, learning how to feed them and spending time on the topics we presented in short theoretical sessions. Practical experience was always at the core: petting a dog, meeting the cats, or watching the turtles.
The combination of playful activities with meaningful lessons about animal welfare seemed to resonate with the children, helping them deeply understand the importance of treating animals respectfully and responsibly. They experienced the daily life of an animal shelter up close and developed a new appreciation for why it is so important to protect animals and provide them with a suitable environment.
An enduring Experience
Looking back, the summer camp at Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary was not only an unforgettable experience for the children but for us as well. We not only improved our English skills but also gained valuable experience in animal welfare education. With support from Germany and close collaboration with the local team, we were able to make animal welfare accessible to the children in practical, hands-on ways.
Our time in Barbados taught us that animal welfare is a vital cause around the world and that it is especially the younger generation who, through projects like this, can grow into future advocates for animals. We are grateful for the chance to have been part of this project, and we will certainly incorporate these experiences into our future work as teachers.
The summer of 2024 will remain unforgettable for us—and, perhaps, for the children who found a special connection to animal welfare through our summer camp in Barbados.
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Our School program (June 2024)
June 17th Stacia Norgrove taught 3 fourth grade classes at the St. Winifred’s Primary School.
Stacia, 2. row to the left, still works accompanied by Petra Bellamy, 2. row to the right.
11 classes altogether are being taught at this school. Topics were pet ownership and bite awareness.
A little bit of fun inbetween serious and concentrated learning…
The summer holidays begin in July and last til September. In August there is going to be a summer camp run by German volunteers. From September on Stacia will teach on her own.
Hillary, a former Ocean Acres volunteer, will visit classes with her dog so children can make direct contact with a pet. Another visit of St. Winifred’s students at Ocean Acres is planned for the coming year.
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Our School program (May 2024)
First lesson for Petra Bellamy after the Easter holidays at St. Luke’s Academy.
Desks and benches are missing; we don’t know why…
But this doen’t seem to bother the kids. Kneeling, squatting or lying on their bellies, they are fully concentrated on their task.
Stacia Norgrove who shall become Petra Bellamy‘s successor was there for the first time.
Petra Bellamy has been thinking about retirement for quite some time but not without making sure that the school project will continue in the same way that she has run it since 2018. She is convinced that Stacia Norgrove is the right person for this. Stacia who loves animals as well as children is mother of 4 kids whom she taught herself at home. She is also secretary of the Barbados Reiki Association and a student of Petra who pratcices and teaches Reiki herself.
Until the summer holiday Petra will work with Stacia together. Afterwards Stacia shall continue teaching the program on her own. The summer holidays start on 07/15, school begins again on 09/16. In August and September 2 volunteers will be in Ocean Acres who offer summer camps to children and adolescents.
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Our Volunteers program (April 2024)
In April 3 volunteers visited Barbados; Hannah, Vanessa and Paul. Hannah came already on 03/26 and went to a food drive at Carter’s. From there she sent some beautiful photos:
The stand at Carter‘s and the four-legged representatives of Ocean Acres,…
…very relaxed.
Karen Whittaker, president of Ocean Acres.
These food drives aren’t just an opportunity to collect food donations for the animals but also to talk to people…
…and establish contact between them and the dogs.
On Barbados it‘ not allowed to let animals stray. So most dogs are chained…
…or locked up in tiny cages. Badly or wrongly treated, they often bite out of fear.
As a result many people are afraid of dogs.
Meeting the friendly dogs of Ocean Acres is a chance to counteract these fears…
…and show people of all age groups how lovable dogs are.
Should these children get the chance to profit from Petra’s school program …
…the life of Bajan dogs will improve tremendously in the next generation.
On April 2nd Vanessa and Paul arrived. On the 12th of April 25 children from the Nightingale orphanage visited Ocean Acres. They were between 5 and 11 years old. It was not allowed to take photos. Hannah, Vanessa and Paul divided the children into groups according to their age. It proved to be a difficult task to supervise the kids who didn’t have any experience with animals and tried to catch the cats which of course ran away from them.
The children from St. Silas who visited Ocean Acres on 04/24 behaved totally different.
It was the long awaited first visit from pupils of a public school where Petra teaches.
These kids had gone through the complete 3 years school program and knew a lot about dealing with animals. The cats sensed this and joined the lesson…
…and the dogs enjoyed their caresses.
The children were very attentive and a lot of topics were dealt with during the lesson…
…such as animal intelligence, proper pet keeping, the importance of spay neuter and even why one shouldn’t dock dogs.
After the lesson the kids were eager to visit the animals…
…and the cats of Ocean Acres were already waiting for them!
Also in the chattery the children knew how to behave.
Paul and the other volunteers…
…had a lot of fun with the children ftom St. Silas.
And the children spent a very happy day with the animals of Ocean Acres!
They visited also the quarantine ad puppy station and listened attentively to the story of each animal.
We hope that many more children from public schools will have the opportunity to visit Ocean Acres.
The volunteers spent of course also a lot of time with the animals. Cuddling helps them to forget the bad experiences of the past.
These two that had the luck to get rescued very young will never know the fate they escaped…!
Vanessa and Paul flew back home on 04/24; Hannah stayed til the 28th. Now the summer break starts for the volunteers program; the next volunteers will come in August.
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Our Volunteers program (March 2024)
In March another 2 volunteers were in Ocean Acres: Marleen (03/05 – 03/29) and Lea (03/05 – 03/20). Besides participating in events that have the goal to change and improve Bajan people’s attitude towards animals the volunteers also help Ocean Acres workers with their daily chores.
In the morning they feed the dogs…
…and the cats.
They walkt he dogs…
…and try to socialize them so that they become adoptable.
The volunteers also accompany Ocean Acres workers to so-called food drives where they visit supermarkets, set up small stands with articles for sale and flyers that inform about the work of Ocean Acres. Some especially friendly dogs always come along that quickly make friends with customers many of whom add then dog and cat food to their cart which they donate Ocean Acres. It’s a great opportunity to reach out to young and old and raise sympathy for animals.
On 03/15 a group of about 30 law students visited Ocean Acres.
After a speech of Karen Whittaker they went for a tour through Ocean Acres; first to the cats,…
…then to the dogs some of which they could only watch from behind the fence.
But there were many others where they could enter the kennel, stroke them…
…and make friends.
They also visited the isolation ward and Karen told them a lot about running a shelter, the importance of spay neuter but also about the fate of the individual animals. But the most important topic was of course the Bajan animal welfare law. Karen discussed with the students the current law, ways to improve and enforce it. The students had to admit that this had never been a subject of their studies so far.
They had an hour’s break before they left Ocean Acres again and spent it sitting in the shade of the big tree, cuddling the animals and reflecting upon the responsibility they will once have in their future life as jurists.
In the eveneing of March 16th Marleen and Lea went with Ocean Acres volunteerAlisia to a fundraiser for spay neuter at the Barbados Yacht Club. China, paintings and other items were sold; Lea and Marleen sold raffle tickets. Afterwards Alisia showed them the night life of Barbados.
Marleen who studies veterinary medicine had the opportunity to help at a spay neuter clinic at K9 Friends where a Canadian vet spayed 22 cats one morning with the help of 2 vet technicians.
When Carter’s Canine Expo took place on April 6th Lea and Marleen were already back in Germany.
But before they left they had created this flyer to colour in which was handed out to children at the expo including crayons.
Carter’s Canine Expo attracted a lot of people. A big tent was set up in front of Carter’s.
To the right and left of the big tent stood the small pavilions of the exhibitors. Everybody who has something to do with dogs was there: Pet food traders, groomers, trainers, breeders and animal welfare associations.
Also, Ocean Acres was there; with grooming products, toys…
…and of course a few dogs.
Also Carter’s had a booth outside and there was a tent where lunch was served. Many people stayed the whole day.
And many had brought their dogs along which is unusual according to Petra Bellamy even at such an event. selbst bei einer solchen Veranstaltung ungewöhnlich ist. On Barbados one doesn’t take dogs along when socializing…
All in all, Carter’s Canine Expo was a huge success.
And the flyers, here one coloured in, as well!
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Our Volunteers program (January – February 2024)
Between 01/13 and 02/26 24 three volunteers were at Ocean Acres whose main task, apart from supporting the shelter workers in general, was to work with children and adolescents. Jordis was the only volunteer during the first 3 weeks. Three field trips took place during this time.
On 01/17 a class from the Codrington School, third grade , visited Ocean Acres.
On 01/18 two more classes from Codrington School came, second and fourth grade.
They made a tour through the shelter, met the animals and learnt about their often sad past, the reason why they live now in Ocean Acres.
They also learnt something about how the shelter is run and about animal welfare in general.
After the tour a lesson followed, as usual, based on the content of Petra Bellamy’s lessons who teaches in the second grade empathy and friendliness not only towards animals but also among the pupils themselves. In the third grade the children learn about animal intelligence and their special capabilities and in the fourth grade, the last year of the 3 years school program, responsible pet keeping is the topic.
This sheet was used to make the youngest become aware of their feelings in negative and positive situations and to think about how to improve those situations that make them feel sad.
A little girl, convinced that animals have no feelings, was asked what her dog does when she comes.
She answered: „It wags with its tail.“
Why? „Because it is happy to see me.“
And what is happiness? „A feeling!“
She left Ocean Acres deply convinced that animals have feelings!
Photos of assistence dogs and police dogs at work served as material to teach about animal intelligence and to raise awareness among the older kids for responsible pet keeping animal needs were discussed, the costs they cause and the number of years this responsibility lasts depending on the animal’s life expectancy.
On 01/24 24 children from several classes of the Providence School came accompanied by 2 teachers and some parents.
2 friendly dogs were there to be cuddled and of course a large number of cats. Lunch was served before the children left: another high light of the day.
Elli, the second volunteer, arrived on January 30th and Asta, the third one, landed on February 5th on Barbados
They had the opportunity to accompany Petra Bellamy to the St. Silas Primary School…
…and to experience how Petra teaches.
That was very helpful for their own work with kids at Ocean Acres.
They visited the second, third and fourth grade and got an insight into the complete school program and Petra’s teaching method.
They also visited the nearby Learning Center where Petra teaches children handicaps and with special needs since 2019.
In February pupils from the Learning Centers visited for the first time to Ocean Acres. Many of them come from families that are not affluent and struggle already to afford the school fee to give their children the best start possible for their life. Therefore our association covered the transportation costs.
Also the Learning Center kids toured first of all the shelter…
…and had a lesson afterwards.
They were all eager to learn…
…and asked many questions.
Photos and drawings served as learning material.
The volunteers were assisted by the helpful fourlegged stars of Ocean Acres.
The direct contact to the animals can’t be replaced by anything. Therefore the visits in Ocean Acres are of enormous importance. The therapeutical effect the animals had on the children from the Learning Center was remarkable, especially with two boys.
One of them made contact with the dogs right away…
…and the other, suffering from depression, didn’t go away anymore from the cats.
He told that he has cats at home which his parents would like to spay neuter but couldn’t afford the fee. In the future we will try to cover the costs for spay neuter in cases like this. Cats were a topic during the lesson just as much as dogs
Here a volunteer shows how to make friends with a cat. And Ocean Acres cats play their role as if they knew about their importance! Spay neuter is just as important on Barbados as on other islands. Only when spay neuter programs and educationalprograms are carried out in combination will the results of animal welfare efforts be effective and sustainable! Already in 2016 we sent Dr. Schirren for an operative to Barbados but the bureaucracy involved to obtain the necessary working permit for foreign vets is so lengthy and costly that it is impossible for us to organize high volume operatives on the island. This task we have to leave up to the vets practicing on Barbados.
There were 2 cat spay campaigns in Ocean Acres during the stay of Jordis, Elli and Asta. Each time 20 animals were operated in a special room that seves just as a surgery. The fee for a queen is 50 BBD and 25 BBD for a tom cat. gab es 2 Kastrationsaktionen für Katzen. Dog are brought to K9 Friends who run a spay neuter clinic
Spaying a bitch costs 75 BBD, neutering a male 50 BBD
Number of animals spayed neutered by Ocean Acres between 2021 and 2024:
2021:
255 dogs and 177 cats
2022:
338 dogs and 748 cats
2023:
187 dogs and 711 cats
2024:
152 cats
In total:
780 dogs and 1788 cats
Also, The Ark Animal Welfare Society Barbados offers on their web site a spay neuter program at reduced prices. The exact prices we don’t know.
02/09 – 02/16 the Barbados Holetown Festival, an annual event that attracts many people. 2024 our volunteers were there and did a fundtaiser for Ocean Acres. In the future Ocean Acres will be able to participate in a lot more events with the help of our volunteers who will be talking to many people, raising their awareness for animals, animal welfare and the work of Ocean Acres.
They will have a booth at the Canine expo at Carter’s on the 6th of April.
The volunteers created this flyer to be coloured that will be handed out to kids together with donated crayons they brought from Germany. The scan code leads directly to the Ocean Acres web site.
On May 18th a competitive run combined with a fun walk happens. Many students will participate. Our volunteers will be there to educate them!
The volunteers will accompany Alicia on her community outreach tours and to the feral cat colonies and will talk with the residents about proper pet keeping and the right attitude towards animals.
The start of the planned youth club had to be postponed into an undetermined future. Ocean Acres has proved to be the wrong place because of its remote location. This plan can be realized only if a place can be found that is centraly located and can be permanently used.
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The first volunteers for the Ocean Acres Youth Project! (01/28/2024)
The Ocean Acres youth project with its ambitious concept exists presently only on paper. It shall complete the 3 years school program of Petra Bellamy so that children and adolescents become active animal welfare helpers in the future. Planned are lessons and workshops concerning animal welfare and pet keeping. The members shall volunteer 4 hours per month and participate in 2 fundraisers annually. Interest in future jobs as pet trainer, pet groomer, vet, veterinary tech/assistant, kennel assistant, dog walker or pet-sitter shall be supported. Not only money is needed to realize this program but also staff. Since December 23 German volunteers have traveled to Barbados to help to build up the „Ocean Acres Youth Club“. This will of course take some time!
Christina and Luca were the first volunteers.
Here they are working with a group of children and young people…
…who repainted the turtles‘ home.
All kids worked with great concentration….
…and had a lot of fun.
Working and teaching/learning periods alternated.
Christina and Luca returned with a lot of enthusiasm but also ideas and suggestions on how to improve the project for which we are very grateful. At the moment a third volunteer, Jordis, is in Ocean Acres.
She had a visit from a class of the Codrington School. The children wanted to see the newly painted enclosure and of course the turtles.
Then they went to the dog kennels with the newcomers that were taken in after the transport of 200 animals to Canada in November.
Here it has to be found out first of all which dogs can be trusted with children.
The kids understand this and are very considerate. By now they all know that the animals that come to Ocean Acres have had terrible experiences with humans in the past.
As always a lesson was held following the topics taught by Petra Bellamy in this grade.
The next volunteer, Elli, flies on the 01/30/24, followed by Asta on the 02/05/24. Apart from the work at Ocean Acres they will accompany Petra Bellamy to the schools. Classes from St. James, St.Silas and the Learning Center plan to visit Ocean Acres during their stay.
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Dog transport to Toronto (11/26 2023)
On November 26th a dog transport to Canada took place on Barbados that was an incredible logistic challenge and had been prepared for months.
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202 dogs from Ocean Acres flew to Toronto where they were placed in foster homes. Already the transport to the airport was a giant action.
The flight should have taken place at an earlier date but was postponed until there were foster homes for all dogs because it was very important to the Ocean Acres team that none of their dogs would go to a shelter.
The reason for the transport was the occupancy of Ocean Acres up to the limit of capacities and the therefore very high maintainance expenses that didn’t allow any other investments anymore as for example into the youth program.
Therefore many, many cages went aboard the cargo plane that day on the way to a bright future as family pets.
The plane filled up to the hilt with dogs… They all arrived safely in Toronto and a number of foster places will turn into forever homes.
Visit in St. James (April 2023)
Karen Whittaker, the tireless director of the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary, welcomes not only school classes at Ocean Acres but also visits children and adolescents in their communities, accompanied by friendly four-legged helpers from the sanctuary.
In April she started a new youth project in St. James, a parish northwest of Bridgetown with about 30.000 residents. She met with the kids at the community center. They had a lot of questions,…
…Karen answered them all and the children listened just as attentively as during Petra Bellamy’s school lessons.
Karen’s companion of course got the greatest attention.
Everybody wanted to stroke the patient little dog,…
…play with it or hold the leash.
At the moment Karen Whittaker struggles to get the funding for a community structure and new washrooms at Ocean Acres to improve the possibilities to welcome and teach school classes at the sanctuary.
During her trip to Germany Petra Bellamy will meet our president in May in Munich.
November - December 2022 (12/27/2022)
In September 2021 Barbados went again into a lock down and the schools stayed closed during winter '22. Also the youth project of the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary had to be put on hold. Schools re-opened after the summer hoiidays '22.
In November Petra Bellamy taught again for the first time.
Petra Bellamy teaching in the Providence School on 11/2. Pupils are still wearing masks in the class room.
She was enthusiatically welcomed by the kids.
Petra uses video presentations in her lessons. This day the topic weren’t just dogs and cats but also farm animals.
Exercise sheets are being handed out to the children…
…and then they think about possibilities to be a better best friend to dogs, cats and all other animals.
On 11/3 and 11/4 Petra was at the Codrington International School…
…in several classes.
Also here the children were very happy to have her back.
The school’s headship wrote in their Pelican Brief on 11/18 22:
„Longtime friend of the school, Ms. Petra Bellamy, visited our upper Primary classes today to speak about animal welfare. Ms. Petra has a long association with the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary on the east coast of Barbados and visits Codrington every year to share her vast knowledge and experience with our students. Unfortunately we haven’t seen Ms. Petra for two years due to the Covid restrictions so it was great to welcome her back to our classrooms today.“
„Ms. Petra spoke about local lizards, worms, birds, fish and the famous green monkeys of Barbados. Her information and experience with the monkeys was very enlightening for our students, particularly in regard to their behaviour, their feelings, and the perils of humans interacting with them.“
Afterwords exercise sheets were given to the pupils…
…and Petra Bellamy went around…
…explaining and helping when necessary.
Visit at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve: Besides Petra’s animal welfare lessons and the field trips to Ocean Acres the Codrington School offers their pupils also an educational program concerning nature and environment.
The November Peican Brief reports: „Our PYP 3 and PYP 5 classes joined forces on Wednesday in a collaborative field trip to the Barbados Wildlife Reserve.“
„Ms. Peggy’s PYP 3s have been studying local animals…“
“… while Ms. Barbara’s PYP 5s have been focusing on habitats and animal adaptations.“
„So the Wildlife Reserve was the perfect environment…“
„…to marry the two areas of inquiry and create a humungous learning experience for both classes.“
Petra Bellamy wants to retire in the coming years but not before our long-cherished dream has come true: Her former pupils shall continue her work and teach the younger children. This way the knowledge about animal care and welfare will be handed down from generation to generation guaranteeing the continuation of the project. As usual Codrington School leads the way. They have already a youth project directed by Ms Caroline.
On 11/12 the Codrington School youth group had their first event at Ocean Acres.
They organized a fund-raiser…
…and taught younger kids how to treat animals properly at the same time.
In January Petra Bellamy will visit the Codrington School on 3 afternoons and teach her former students the school program; this time from the teacher’s – not the pupil’s - point of view.
She will also visit the other schools one by one. Some of them have new principals who are not familiar with Petra’s project so she will have to do some groundwork. She will also introduce Karen Whittaker, Ocean Acres‘ president, and her team to the schools because they shall direct the school program in the future. Also the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary youth project started up again in November.
The program is ambitous:
„The OAYG, the Ocean Acres Youth Group – is a new kids club to promote and encourage a kind and caring mentality towards all living creatures and the world around us. We aim to build a community of young individuals with a passion to make positive change. To educate and empower, share ideas and work together towards creating a happy, healthy, brighter future for us all. We are at the stage of start-up and are looking to recruit members.
Our Aims:
To educate and share information about care and kindness towards all animals
Fundraising to help Ocean Acres continue to care for rescue dogs and cats
To educate and promote the importance of neutering animals and fundraise to support The Spay & Neuter Program
To champion animal welfare and encourage others to do the same
This includes reporting animal abuse – if you see something, say something!
This includes educating ourselves and others on the proper care of pets and also farm animals
To educate on healthy living in an eco-friendly environment
What We Offer:
A Join and Welcome pack
Animal Care and Welfare training, education courses and demonstrations
Training videos, activities, competitions, quizzes and assignments
Based on a points system: achievement certificates and badges on completion of various educational activities and accomplishments
Youth Group annual celebrations
A chance to have your say: via our Newsletter, Website and Social Media Marketing
All of the above will be outlined on our website in a staged monthly learning course format. The OAYG and its various activities are designed to be age-appropriate.
Each Member (will be required to)
Volunteer a minimum of 4 hours per month (multiple days or in consecutive hours)
Attend and participate in at least 2 fundraising events per year
Attend and participate in monthly meetings either in person or via video call
Submit a photo to be included in marketing and to appear in videos and promotional incentives
Who can be in the OAYG?
Children aged 6 to 16 (children under the age of 11 are to be accompanied by an adult)
Locals and visitors are ALL WELCOME!
For children who can’t attend in-person, you can still be an OAYG Member by completing home tasks and assignments
Our CORE VALUES
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
COMPASSION
EFFICIENCY
A KIND AND HONEST HEART
NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE
ACCOUNTABILITY & RESPONSIBILITY
COMMITMENT
RELIABILITY
EDUCATION FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS
SERVICE AND HARD WORK
The benefits of being an OAYG Member
Interact and play with lots of amazing animals
Make new friends: be part of a group with other like-minded children
Experience new people, opportunities and environments
Learn to achieve, share and appreciate your knowledge, talents and abilities
Have fun taking part in activities and learning new skills
Find an interest in working with animals in the future – job opportunities: Pet Trainer, Pet Groomer, Vet, Veterinary Tech/Assistant, Kennel Assistant, Dog Walker, Pet-Sitter and much more…“
For us this means that another dream comes true: The further integration of children and adolescents into animal welfare after the 3 years school program of Petra Bellamy and we will do everything we can to support this project.
In spring 22 Ocean Acres had asked us for financial aid to allow children to visit the sanctuary whose parents and schools don’t have the means to pay for the transportation and we were very happy to donate 1000 Euro for this cause. In December these field trips started.
On the 8th of December 55 eight year old pupils of the St. Winifred’s Primary School visited Ocean Acres with 3 teachers and an assistant. They brought food donations for the animals.
They were welcomed by Karen Whittaker.
3 groups were formed, each with one teacher. One group had a lesson.
Questions were asked, such as: „Who of you has an animal ; what kind of animal? Do you know how a happy/unhappy dog behaves?“ A role play followed where the children play-acted as happy or sad dogs.
They learned how to hold and lift animals properly…
…how a massage can improve the well-being of dogs…
…how cats behave and what they like/don‘t like.
A quiz afterwards showed how much of this information the children remembered.
In the meantime the 2 other groups made a tour through the sanctuary…
…and met all the animals.
The cuddly cats were favourites.
Then the groups switched and the next one had a lesson. The kids had also the opportunity to walk a dog.
Picnic at lunchtime…
At the end Trudy Whitehead and Karen Whittaker held a little speech and said Good Bye to the children. The kids were asked to paint a picture of their visit. Ocean Acres will post the paintings in their social media.
The visit lasted from 8:30 to 12:30. Then the bus came and the children had to leave. They will never forget these 5 hours and surely some of them will join the Ocean Acres youth club.
A smaller group of kids from the St. Luke’s Academy came on the 12/09; 11 children at the age of nine.
One boy sat in a wheel chair. We don’t know why and hope that he will recover soon.
But surely this day was the best during his illness!
The group went through a similar program as the pupils of the St. Winifred’s School the day before with a lesson…
…dog massage…
…quiz…
…and a tour of the whole sanctuary; here in the cattery…
…and a lot of cuddling with dogs…
…and cats.
Also for the pupils of the St. Luke’s Acadamy this day will stay unforgettable!
On 12/30 fifty children from the Nightingale Children’s Village between 4 and 11 years old
visited Ocean Acres. They came at 9:00 am and stay til 2:00 pm.
Especially these children living in an orphanage profit enormously
by experiencing the unconditioned love animals are able to give.
Many of them had never touched an animal before. They learnt a lot this day about the right behaviour around animals. It was a great day for the kids with lots of activities, games and fun. And the dogs and cats of Ocean Acres, the stars of the show, behaved impeccably.
Many thanks to Subway Barbados for providing lunch and the transport for the children…
…and to Ecoskywater for donating drinking water.
The entire Ocean Acres team is looking forward to the next visit of these children!
March 2020 – August 2021(09/12/2021)
Schools were closed on Barbados from the middle of March til the end of September 2020 because of Corona.
On the 18th of October 20 the Providence School and the Learning Center told Petra Bellamy that she could teach again after the autumn vacations.
October 28th she started at the Providence School. Masks, distance, fans, open windows and doors…
Petra Bellamy wrote: “ Today was my first day at Providence since the lock-down in March. 2 third grade classes this morning. The children were very happy that the Animal Care program started again. We had a lot of fun despite masks and distances. There are restrictions but everybody was in a great mood. After finishing one class I have to return to the principle’s office and wait to be taken to the next class room. Masks and keeping distance are obligatory. During breaks the children stay in the classroom and eat there. Masks can be loosened or taken of as long as the distance can be kept. It is not easy to teach wearing a mask; at times I almost have to yell so that everybody can understand me but somehow it works. Some kids wear their masks all the time. Rooms are not closed; windows and doors are always open. Topic in the third grade is “How fo I treat pets and how do I become a good pet owner”.
Also at the Learning Center everybody was happy about Petra’s return.
The children were delighted despite masks and restrictions…
…and very concentrated.
In November 20 Petra Bellamy taught also at the Codrington School.
All children must wear masks when they work together and the distance can’t be kept.
On November 27th the Codrington pupils could visit the Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary.
To minimize the contact to humans…
...they visited only the cats’ enclosures this time…
…which they can enter without adults.
Shortly after this field trip the next lock-down began which lasted til spring 21.
05/14/2021 Petra Bellamy wrote:
„Yesterday I was back at Codrington for the first time since the Covid lock-down in 2021. A group of children have started a project about animal welfare and shelters on Barbados. They want to participate in a presentation in June.“
„They have asked me to help them with the project. Each of them had a long list with questions concerning various topics of animal welfare that I answered. Their interest was immense. After this session 3 of the pupils wanted to volunteer at Ocean Acres Sanctuary and others wanted to adopt. A further success of our educational program!“
Petra‘s first pupils are slowly becoming adolescents with own ideas and the wish to make a change – that’s what we had hoped for!
The day of the presentation…!
The participating children were divided in groups that had all worked on different subjects; environmental protection, social relations…
…and Petra Bellamy‘s students of course animal welfare.
The children had researched very extensively and detailed.
The topics comprised the global extinction of species - showing exact statistics …
…and causes – just as much as the protection of domesticated animals.
The children had particularly looked into the problems shelters have; internationally as well as on Barbados, and had come to the conclusion that all shelters have similar problems: When overcrowded, they become either killing pounds or run the risk that more animals get abandoned because they can’t be taken in anymore.
They had interviewed staff members of the local shelters and asked them questions about their work, the average number of animals taken in, ways of regaining the trust of abused animals and the general situation in the 3 shelters on Barbados; Ocean Acres, The Ark and the RSPCA.
The result was a detailed graphic showing size/space, number of staff and volunteers, veterinary care, amount of donations and number of annual adoptions of the 3 shelters and an appeal to donate pet food and toys.
The presentation of the animal welfare group was a great success.
2021 is the first year where children who have been taught by Petra Bellamy since 2018 have completed the animal care program and that brings up the question of how to continue if we want not only to teach empathy and love for animals but also raise future animal welfare activists. Ocean Acres plan a youth project that shall start on September 26th with an open day, including lectures about animal welfare relevant topics, and have created a lovely video as introduction:
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Our task is now to make sure also the pupils of public schools to join field trips and participate in this program because the public schools don’t have the means to rent small busses, vans or large taxis to transport the children. It is our goal to educate children from all social classes to become animal lovers and animal welfare activists in order to improve the situation for the animals on Barbados sustainably.
At the moment the number of Corona infections is on the rise again on Barbados and we don’t know what the fall will bring for Petra Bellamy’s animal care program at the schools or the youth outreach project of the Ocean Acres Sanctuary.
05/10/2020
3 years already Petra Bellamy teaches now in 9 schools of Barbados - 4 public schools, 4 private schools and a learning center for disabled children with need for special learning aid. The school year on Barbados is divided into 3 terms, the first term begins in September and runs ‘til the Christmas holidays, the second starts in January and lasts ‘til Easter and the third begins after the Easter holidays and runs ‘til the summer vacation in June.
Here the most current photos of some of the schools from the first term 2020:
All Saints, a public school. Petra Bellamy comments: „This year we have admitted first graders for the first time into the program. The girls, called "the blossoms" were really enthusiastic when I showed them a film about humanity towards animals, one another and the environment“
„Afterwardfs they painted…“
„and the result was given as a gift to other pupils as sign of humanitiy. The girls loved it and understood quickly what it means to treat animals, people and the environment with respect and care.”
Providence, a private school.
Also here the pupils love Petra’s films.
And also they get an exercise to do after watching the film.
The picture shows dogs and cats in various situations around Roy’s Market; on the street, endangered by traffic, tied to a light pole or locked up in cars with the windows closed… The task: Find the mistakes in the picture; choose a pet and draw how it is treated properly.
The children of the public school St. Silas…
…had similar tasks to solve.
At St. Judes, also a pubic school…
…there is evidently no lack of computers.
The Learning Center, a private school for children with disabilities and the need for special learning support.
Petra Bellamy has many friends here…
The curriculum ist he same as at other schools…
…with the computer…
…and on paper…
…the children paint…
…cut out…
…and fill in. And learn at the same time the importance of a „Daily Dose of Kindness“ for humans and for animals.
The friendly cool penguin is ready…
…and every child…
…proudly presents an own version of the cool bird.
All are looking forward to the next lesson.
Great changes at The Hope Sanctuary!
The Hope Animal Sanctuary, so closely tied to our school project, where Dr. Katja Schirren spayed and neutered 2016 has experienced great changes
In December 2019 Cornelia and George Coulthrust, the founder of this beautiful and unique shelter, retired. Since 2003 they had fought to find, build up and maintain this wonderful sanctuary where so many mistreated animals have found a home. Regularly they reached the brink of bancruptcy but found always a way and new sponsors to insure the upkeep of the shelter at least for some time. Now the fate of The Hope seemed to be sealed. But the animals there must have a guardian angel! A new group under the chairing of Karen Whittaker has taken over The Hope which is now called Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary. Visiting their web site one quickly notices that they are battling the same financial problems as the former Hope Sanctuary. Homes are sought urgently for dogs and cats, some of which are already quite old and all possible efforts are made to raise donations and find sponsors. We hope very much that they will succeed in maintaining the sanctuary permanently.
Soon after taking over the Ocean Acres team visited Codrington , the first school to participate in Petra Bellamy’s school program and the first to make a field trip to The Hope in 2018. Since then the pupils of Codrington have organized annual food donation campaigns for the sanctuary.
Now the dogs came to visit…
There couldn’t have been a greater pleasure for kids!
Happily smiling faces everywhere…
…joyful children…
…and joyful dogs!
Of course there was going tob e a re-visit at the Ocean Acres but the children didn’t want to come empty-handed.
They baked cakes and cookies and organized a bake sale
Here some of their products…
The sale was a success. The kids took in 320 Barbadian Doilars.
Petra Bellamy comments: „These students are the result of our 3 years "Educational Program" at the schools of Barbados. These junior-high students are the former elementary school pupils who have learned through our program how important it is to support the island’s animal shelters. Even though we thought in the beginning that the children in private schools wouldn’t actually need lecturing in proper animal treatment and care, admitting them to our program has helped to implement it also in public schools. The private schools opened their doors first, the public schools followed.
In addition we receive also financial support from the families of private school pupils who believe in our program.”
March 6th 2020 the children started for Ocean Acres, loaded with pet food donations.
And as always they insisted to carry everything themselves.
After delivering the donations lengthy cuddling followed…
…equally enjoyed by kids and dogs.
Petra Bellamy: „The director of the Codrington School confirmed his support for the sanctuary. Annual donation campaigns and school projects are planned.”
When Ocean Acres, formerly The Hope Animal Sanctuary, survives then the school program of Petra Bellamy will have certainly added to that, not just by current donation campaigns: These children will pass on to their own kids and grandchildren what they learned about animals; and pupils from schools like Codrington will hold influential, decision-making positions one day in the society of Barbados. They will support animal welfare on their island and change the face of Barbados. Presently though they have to live with the same restrictions as children everywhere in the world. Due to Corona the schools closed one week before the Easter holidays and most likely won’t open before the end of the school year. Since May 5th there are home schooling lessons online. Barbados runs a strict course against Corona: 24 hours curfew started one month ago. People are only allowed to go shopping twice a week, either in the morning or in the afternoon, regulated by family names. Barbados has so far 82 registered Corona cases and 7 or 8 deaths.
09/08/2019
In September the new school year begins in Barbados as in many other places. As in 2018 a summer camp took place also this year during the school vacation; this time not initiated by the police for endangered adolescents but by Petra Bellamy herself for a very special reason:
Petra Bellamy had heard that the community Bakers Woods had problems with wild monkeys and that people had been hired to shoot the animals.
Since the people who do the shooting are often not well-trained the monkeys are not killed with one shot but injured severely and suffer a long time before they die a horrible death.
Petra decided to offer a workshop about cruelty against animals for the children of Bakers Woods.
The parents agreed and soon the lesson started! More than 20 children of all sorts of families from Bakers Woods took part, as well as some parents. Planned was a lesson of one hour but the children were so thrilled that Petra had to teach for 2 hours.
In-between they played games:
20 plastic animals were put into a bag and the children were blindfolded…
…and had to take an animal out of the bag…
…and guess which animal it was.
Also pieces of paper with the name of different animals written on them were put into the bag and the children had to pull one out and imitate the movements of the animal written on the paper while the other children had to guess which animal was meant. They all had a lot of fun and in the end the children had understood that all animals, monkeys, dogs, cats, have feelings just like we do and they begged the adults not to kill the monkeys. The result was the termination of the planned killing. Now the community searches for humane solutions to solve the monkey problem. A more beautiful and convincing example for the success of the work of Petra Bellamy and the school program can’t be imagined!
02/09/2019
Since May Petra Bellamy teaches 6 classes of another public school…
…the Hillary Turner Hall Primary School. The children love her…
…which shows during the lessons. All participate very actively.
Proudly they present their learning material.
Altogether Petra Bellamy teaches already in 9 schools.
4 public schools :
- St. Judes
- All Saints
- Hillary Turner Hall
- and
St. Silas
4 private schools:
Codrington
Providence
Winifred
Montessori
and in the Learning Center, a school for children wih a handicap.
This is a phantastic result for a project that runs only 14 months yet!!
02/24/2019
The pupils of the Codrington School were the first to visit The Hope Sanctuary in June 2018. That’s when they decided to start a fundraiser for food for The Hope’s animals.
And they kept word!
The school had to rent a truck and a taxivan to transport the donations to theHope Sanctuary.
The children insisted on loading the vehicles themselves.
They formed a human chain…
…and carried bag after bag tirelessly.
And then of course they visited The Hope’s residents. These experiences they will remember all their life and pass them on to their own kids.
A big Thank you to the school, the teachers and the parents who gave this action their full support.
The new year has generally started well.
Petra Belamy teaches now also in a Montessori school and is negotiating with a 3rd public school.
Overview of the first half year01/27/2019
During the second half year Petra taught already in 2 public and 3 private schools…
…and in a learning center.
Since November 2018 Petra Bellamy uses also film material of the animal welfare organization PETA.
The teachers and the IT staff are very helpful and go to great length to assist and make the lessons as interesting as possible. Often there are not enough chairs but that doesn’t effect the concentration of the children who are very enthusiastic about this new learning device. Afterwards they discuss what they have seen in the film and what can be done to reduce animal suffering.
But the children show also great interest in the learning material of the Humane Society of Dominica, here children of the private Providence School.
The children learn not only about domestic animals but also about wild life and species they have already heard about in their biology lessons.
This little girl shows a picture that reminds very much of „Maya the Bee”.
The children love Petra Bellamy and often welcome her with a warm embrace.
St. Jude Primary School is one of the two public schools already participating in the program.
Petra Bellamy teaches here the second, third and fourth grade.
Pupils of public Caribbean schools wear school uniform; at St Jude the girls wear blue, the boys khaki colored outfits.
And as in every other school where Petra Bellamy teaches the children are very attentive and seriously at work.
Computer are nowadays normal learning tools also in the public schools of Barbados.
If we succeed in teaching these young kids empathy, respect and love for other living beings, the animals of Barbados will have a better future.
Overview of the first half year of our school project on Barbados(09/26/2018)
Private schools were the first that were willing to cooperate with Petra Bellamy, Educational Officer of The Hope Sanctuary.
Between March 2nd and July 29th Petra Bellamy taught altogether 16 times for 2 - 3 hours in 3 private and 1 public school, mostly 2 classes and 35 - 47 pupils. In addition several field trips to The Hope Sanctuary took place.
In August Petra Bellamy taught at the Police summer camp, a youth program where her husband gives lessons about alcohol and drug abuse for endangered adolescents.
Lessons in the summer camp were maybe a bit more relaxed than in the classroom…
…but also here the kids worked seriously, learning not only about domestic and companion animals but also about wildlife on the land and in the water. The learning material with exercises for groups and individual children is very much liked and the children participate with great enthusiasm and attentiveness.
Of course Petra Bellamy took part in the final ceremony of the summer camp.
Chief Police Officer Superintendent Margaret Steven mentioned during her speech how happy she was that animal care had been part of the summer camp program 2018. She said that she is an animal lover herself and knows not only about the therapeutic effect animals have on children but considers it as very important that children learn how to love and care and treat animals properly.
The children who visited the summer camp take with them something for life; the knowledge about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuses as well as respect and love for other living beings and knowledge about how to treat and care for them.
Petra Belamy has held already presentations in 2 more private and 3 public schools and the private and one of the public schools have already agreed to implement the school program in the coming school year so that Petra Bellamy will now teach in 5 private and 2 public schools!
First school trips to The Hope Sanctuary(06/26/2018)
Info from Petra Bellamy:
Two classes of the Codrington School and the Providence School have already visited The Hope Sanctuary.
Petra Bellamy writes: „Just returned from the first field trip to the Hope Sanctuary with pupils of the Codrington School.
The kids wanted to adopt all the dogs and one child wanted to buy The Hope.
They will start to collect donations for food for the animals and, even more important, they have good ideas about how to prevent animal abuse by informing and teaching the people and they have already understood that spay and neuter is the means to prevent overpopulation of unwanted animals.
Although some of these children won’t spend their whole life on Barbados they will surely live on other islands of the Caribbean and raise awareness there whereas others will stay and become our future animal welfare advocates here.“
Of course caution was necessary and one couldn’t let a whole class of happily excited children into kennels with partly traumatized dogs that had been severely abused in the past.
That was already a bit different during the second visit.
”We had the whole day time and let children in little groups of 2 and 3 to the dogs while the others lined up waiting their turn.”
And of course they could visit the cats…
The cats enjoyed their visitors and the attention.
They were relaxed and friendly.
It was obvious: The children have paid attention during class and have already learnt a lot about the right treatment of animals.
The kids from Codrington School kept word and started a donation campaign for food for The Hope’s animals. Proudly they carry the donations to Petra’s car.
03/03/2018
First day in class at Codrington school in St. John, not too far from the Hope Sanctuary.
Codrington school is a comprehensive school teaching both primary and secondary grades. The older pupils have a school committee and suggested to raise funds for food for the animals of the Hope Sanctuary at their next meeting.
03/28/2018
Lessons have started at two more schools: St. Winifred and Providence School
The pupils who visit private schools don’t come from poor families but many of them will influence the future of Barbados and although they don’t grow up in poverty they often still have old-fashioned ideas about the keeping of animals. Therefore it is important to improve the attitude towards animals also here.
And although these children grow up in a different environment than the children in poverty-stricken areas they see a lot of animal abuse. Petra Bellamy tries to make them realize that things have to change and teaches them not to look away when they observe something that isn’t right.
04/20/2018
St Judes Public School is the first public school that agreed to cooperate with Petra Bellamy
05/09/2018
Petra received a letter from Providence school thanking her:
„Thanks for your session today. The teachers and children say that they loved it. We look forward to your next visit.“
05/16/2018
Codrington school and Providence school are interested in a field trip to The Hope Sanctuary. This will happen probably in June.
05/24/2018
First lesson at St Judes Public School
Here are also children from poor families and as on all formerly British islands the children wear school uniforms.
The children participate with great enthusiasm and ask right away when Petra will return. One child says: “You can come every day!”
These are children who experience situations like these daily:
Dogs tied up with heavy short chains that grow into the flesh of their necks…
Dogs trapped in tiny, filthy cages…
May Petra succeed in teaching these children the love for animals, awareness and empathy needed to bring about the necessary change to make pictures likes these become a thing of the past!
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