WILLEMSTAD — In the past weeks the Hospitality students from the Inter-Continental University of the Caribbean (ICUC) successfully assisted with the cleaning activities in the oil-polluted area of Jan Kok. Under command of Ryan de Jongh and Milushka Volkerts, the approximate 50 students performed detailed cleaning activities that are now in phase 3 – the last phase.

The work centered along the shore on cleaning the mangroves with the natural product BestAbsorb. “ICUC is very proud of the youngsters’ efforts the past weeks. The extreme weather conditions, from heat to downpour, hadn’t dissuaded them. With the acquired experience of a hard day’s work the students learned a lot and became more aware of the importance of preserving this beautiful nature reserve and the nature on Curaçao in general. The Hospitality section of ICUC attaches great value to the fact that the scenic beauty of the island plays an important role in attracting tourists to Curaçao”, said Peter-Marc te Linde from ICUC.

The private university ICUC, which had entered into a strategic collaboration with Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) earlier this year, received ‘Dushi Hende’ T-shirts and caps for the volunteers. The CTB thinks the input of the youngsters fits entirely with the basic principles of the Dushi Hende Campaign that focuses on the key values hospitality, service, responsibility, pride, integrity and honesty. According to the tourist bureau, these are the character traits of the Curaçao people, which should be conveyed to the visitors of this island. The youngsters’ efforts to preserve the environment and nature not only import the tourist project from CTB by conveying this to the visitors but also to the local society. CTB emphasizes the importance of the environment for a lasting development of tourism on the island.

TMC Tours sponsored the transportation of the youngsters to the polluted area. The Institute Unique Curaçao, which coordinates the cleaning activities in the area, received a donation from the World Nature Fund (WNF) – an amount of 5000 euros – to purchase protective material. As a result the students were equipped with the necessary material, such masks, gloves and boots against irritation of the skin and respiratory organ. The institute also provided for food and drinks.