A conversation about the Clean Ocean Project — and what MFIs in the Philippines can learn

After participating as one of the panelists at Oikocredit’s 50th Anniversary celebration in Rotterdam, my wife and I flew to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands to visit our granddaughter, Maxine Suasi Alip.

- JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PHD

She had just completed her BA in Performing Arts at the Institute of Arts Barcelona in Sitges — and, to my surprise, had begun working with anenvironmental NGO called the Clean Ocean Project (COP).Her excitement was contagious. She walked us through the beach-cleanups she helps organize, COP’s promotion of natural sports like surfing and swimming, and her work in the organization’s shop, which sells organic clothing and eco-friendly merchandise to sustain their advocacy. Seeing her commitment to environmental stewardship filled me with pride.

Soon after, Maxine introduced us to Wim Geirnaert, COP’s founder. Soft-spoken and humble, Wim toldus how he first arrived in Fuerteventura in the 1990s and found its beaches choked with plastic and abandoned fishing gear. Instead of turning away, he gathered friends to clean a small stretch of shoreline in Cotillo. That single act has since grown into a respected environmental movement.

“Everybody is part of the problem,” Wim said, “and everybody is part of the solution. Just do your bit.”

That line stayed with me.

Understanding the Clean Ocean Project

As Wim and Maxine shared more about COP’s work, I saw how comprehensive and community-driven it trulyis: