Kari’na is one of the severely endangered languages of Suriname and Galibi is the only community where the language is still widely spoken. In fact, the parents, village leaders and teachers of Galibi have been the driving force behind our pilot project to design bilingual education materials and to train teachers in intercultural education in an effort to protect their language and culture.
Last year, new school teachers arrived in Galibi, most of whom are not indigenous and do not speak Kari’na. With a donation from the Rotary Club Deventer, the Rutu Foundation was able to meet the school’s request to organize a training for them on intercultural education. Teachers learn among others how to involve the community when preparing their lessons.
The training inspired the new teachers so much that they decided to organize the International Mother Language Day celebrations this year.
Click here for pictures and a report of the day!