Congratulations to the 60 students of the 2nd batch of Mo Chilika Mo Garba for completing their six-month environmental stewardship programme!

Two years ago, HEAL, in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP) began this programme with a simple belief: young people growing up along the shores of Chilika Lake in Odisha deserve an opportunity to understand, explore and take pride in the extraordinary wetland they call home.

This year, students from Biribadi High School, Balipatapur High School and PKBN High School took part in the programme. Through classroom learning, field observations, outdoor exploration and group activities, they learnt about Chilika’s birds, fishes, mammals, plants, people and the ecological processes that connect them all.

The programme also gave students an opportunity to take their learning further. Working together on projects, they shared their ideas and demonstrated their understanding of Chilika. At the end of the six months, 18 students who showed exceptional enthusiasm and leadership were recognised with scholarships.

The students also had the opportunity to present their projects before the Divisional Forest Officer, Chilika Wildlife Division, Block Education Officer, local wildlife conservationists and members of the media.

For us, the most rewarding part of Mo Chilika Mo Garba is seeing young boys and girls move from simply knowing Chilika to thinking about their own relationship with the lagoon and its future.

We hope this programme will help nurture a generation of informed, confident and compassionate stewards of Chilika, who understand not only the wetland’s extraordinary value, but also their own place in its future.

A special thank you to Arya, Iptishamun Nesha, Tiasa Adhya and the entire team at Chilika for mentoring the students and helping make this journey possible.

Mo Chilika Mo Garba — My Chilika, My Pride.