Watershed Health is Vital
From the Caribbean Basin to the Southeastern US, WaterWays empowers people like you to take positive action in their local watersheds.
WaterWays Caribbean has seen much success since our founding in St. Lucia in 2004. Through collaboration with the electric utilities, government entities, resorts, and community groups, thousands of students and teachers are more attuned to the conservation of their local resources.
Unlike environmental organizations that attempt to effect change from without, WaterWays Caribbean works to make a difference from within. Our organization seeks business leaders from island nations who will sponsor local environmental projects. WaterWays Caribbean staff and volunteers then train local educators and students to design, implement, and monitor projects that conserve the local marine ecosystems. Through these efforts, the next generation of leaders will protect the environment and provide economic stability to the islands.
For inquiries for Caribbean collaboration and project development, contact our Executive Director, Mary Beth Sutton, or our Caribbean Program Coordinator, Nadia Cazaubon.
Countries We Are Active In:
St. Lucia
WaterWays (formerly Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance) begain programming in St Lucia in 2004. Our first partners were Lucelec, Sustainable Development(still our partners today), Carilec, Solid Waste Management, and Mystic Man Tours and held at Ciceron Secondary School. St. Lucia is aour Caribbean home Base. We have many ongoing programs and projects.
Belize
In 2006, WaterWays Caribbean was called by Belize Community Conservation to help with sanitation issues. Together we built Kids 4 Clean Water camps in Belize and are working to improve hygiene and sanitation in the poor villages near San Pedro. In 2023, WaterWays was awarded a grant for mangrove restoration and education in Belize and hosted the first annual Project Mangrove Workshop in 2024.
Program Menu:
> Adopt-A-River Stewardship
> Litter Reduction
>Ridge to Reef Camp
> FIN Days (Families in Nature)
> Sustainable Agriculture
> Project Portfolio
> Project Mangrove
> World Water Day Water Monitoring
WaterWays (formerly Caribbean Sea) in the News:
Program Spotlight:
Project Mangrove
Project Mangrove is an initiative focused on enhancing climate change resiliency in Belize through nature-based solutions and community empowerment. This project is the result of a collaboration between WaterWays, Galen University, the University of Belize and Calabash Field Station, and the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA). Teacher and student workshops start in August. This project and workshop is funded by the CEK Foundation’s Earth Focus Initiative.
Adopt-A-River
Adopt-A-River is an initiative that involves communities, schools, and corporate entities to engage in sustainable activities aimed at improving the health of rivers and watersheds based on the model first implemented in Trinidad and Tobago. Our pilot project began with the Choc River in St. Lucia with schools, corporations, and the Satellite Club of St Lucia Rotary, leading to a more in-depth program on the Soufriere River funded through the UN Small Grants Programme and many partners. The sustainability of this programme and indeed our rivers requires many partners and residents in the watersheds to take responsibility for taking care of our rivers.
Past Projects in Other Countries:
Curaçao
Our work in Curaçao began when our Executive Director and Founder, Mary Beth Sutton, met the owners of Sunset Waters Resort through the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) show who then provided the introduction to Ricki Harris, recently widowed from one of the resort founders Ricki founded an ngo in his honor called, Lee’s Reef Project. We collaborated with Lee’s Reef Project to bring teachers to the resort to learn about teaching hands-on environmental programs . The teachers who came to the training were invited to bring their students to do activities led by the teachers and our interns. Working with Les Behrends and Ton Kros, we constructed a huge reciprocating wastewater garden for the resort thanks to a NFWF grant for Coral Reef Protection. Within 6 months of the sewage being treated by the wetland, corals had started regrowing where the sewage had formerly been released. The resort used the purified water to water plants for the resort, which flourished.
Jamaica
Our work in Jamaica came about by the connections of former Peace Corps Volunteer Sheila “Shae” Carman with the Naylor’s Hill Community near Port Antonio, Jamaica. Helped monitor the water quality and erosion coming from the hill and engaged with Engineers without Borders to help reduce erosion and build a road to their community through the power of humans not machines. Delta Airlines also was a partner.
Haiti
WaterWays Caribbean assisted the Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary-led project, and came up with the idea to build Arbor Loos for villages without sanitation.
Dominican Republic
WaterWays Caribbean worked with EGE Haina and International community consultant, Catherine Colby, to educate students and fisherfolk about coral reefs and mangroves, monitor water quality, and clean up the beach and mangrove through the efforts of EGE Haina, the community members, and the fisherfolk. Haina employed the fishing community to clean the mangrove during the season when they couldn’t fish for lobster.
Dominica
In 2009, WaterWays Caribbean facilitated a 2-week program for Dominica Community High School students followed by a year of collaboration with Domlec and Agriculture in which the students learned about watersheds, and the impact of agriculture on the river, and they measured water quality and streamflow. Archbold Tropical Research and Education Center (ATREC) was a huge partner, and the SUN Foundation helped with composting training to build shade structures and grow native plants. We also re-planted trees to reduce erosion in the Roseau River. Christine Bock was a huge help in assisting with the replanting and the student greenhouse work. Two groups of US students from Notre Dame High School visited to help with projects and learn about Dominica.
Worked with Conyers Rotary Club and Dominica Rotary Club (Adler Hammit and Gloria Tavernier) to rehabilitate a public toilet and build a wastewater wetland in Mero Beach. ATREC was again instrumental in the project.
Thank you to our partners!
We collaborate with many other organizations, without whom our mission would not be achieved. Among those are Belize Community Conservation, CYEN, Belize Shark Project, Ecologic Divers in Belize, Lee’s Reef Project and the Curacao Tourist Board in Curacao, Water Resources and Sustainable Development, The National Trust, The Durrell Trust, CYEN, Mango Beach Inn, Complete Marine Services, St. Lucia Dive Operators Association, Soufriere Marine Management Association, and The St. Lucia Tourist Board in St. Lucia, Archbold Tropical Research and Education Center, Rotary, and Domlec in Dominica, and JECO Caribbean in Grenada, as well as Project Learning Tree, PADI and Project AWARE. Everyone brings an integral piece to help our puzzle be completed.
Related Posts
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In celebration of World Water Day 2025, community members all across Belize—from inland Succutz to coastal Belize city—came together in collaboration with WaterWays to conduct a water testing exercise along the Belize River Watershed. This initiative included teachers and students
Project Mangrove 2024
Our inaugural Project Mangrove Workshops proved to be a great success. Educators and students from various parts of the country gathered at the University of Belize’s remote Calabash Caye field station to delve into the Ridge to Reef concept, emphasizing
WaterWays Caribbean Rebranding
It takes us all to protect our waters Caribbean SEA is now WaterWays Caribbean – Join us for our Rebranding Week Celebration! Saturday, June 4: Young Professional – Trivia NightLocation: St. Lucia Yacht ClubTime: 5:00pm – 9:00pmEntry is FREE and PRIZES
