One local woman’s movement to save Colombia’s river turtles has changed the village of Estación Cocorná.

Colombia is the second most diverse country in South America, the first being Brazil which is enormous in comparison.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the worlds inside our heads that and put on blinders. The entire weekend I was there, inside my head, my issues, me, my, looking back, I realized what a missed opportunity to learn more I missed out on because of my shit.

Why am I talking about this? Well, I record everything, so as I was researching through all the clips of my videos, I went online to look up the name of the place, as I forgot, see so stuck in my mud and muck.

The people in the village of Estación Cocorná are the opposite of how I felt.

When people visit Colombia, they often choose only to see a specific side, mostly backpackers with the hotspots to see Medellin, Cartagena, or Ciudad de Perdida or maybe the Desierto Tatacoa.

Then you see the few outliers that go off the beaten path, usually one or two of us. Most of the time, when I talk to other backpackers, they often ask questions.

• Why do so many people litter?
• Why do so many Colombians not care about the environment?
• Why do they not take care of the land here?

I could go on and on the stupid questions; first of all, they were not raised in a quiet, comfy environment of the first world, where we are given everything, including being educated on why not to a liter or to throw trash in the river.

You might think I don’t do that, well you don’t, but you will most likely ask why they do that. We all do, well I no longer do because the Colombians I know say we didn’t get everything, including education, as to why it is wrong until we are older, or unless we have the privilege to go to school, yes, even in the Amazon a simple thing as graduating high school is a luxury.

So this brings me to the topic of extraordinary people doing amazing things in Colombia.

In Estación Cocorná, on the Río Claro Cocorná Sur, which merges with the Magdalena River, there is a woman named Isabel ¨Chava¨Romero Gerez who has decided to save the turtles and, in turn, the environment, which includes educating those in her village, as well as tourists on how they have single handed created a turtle sanctuary to save the turtles, and she is their self-appointed guardian.

She has lived in Estacíon Cocorná since she was young; like most villages, she had to work, was not educated, had children as a teen, and had an abusive relationship; however, at 35, that all changed.

She learned to read and write, went back to school, and got a vocational degree; she did all this while caring for her family during the day and taking night school. Listening to her tell her story had me in tears, and I also wondered when she slept, anything is possible when you know your mission is more significant than you, and you honor and follow the call, is my only explanation.

In 2010, she created a sanctuary for the turtles; she is an independent conservatist and relies on her resources of her and her family to support her mission. The entire town is now geared toward the sanctuary as well as she has partnered with tour agencies and offers a weekend tour where they take you on a tour of the rivers and provide three meals.

You can tell the entire village is involved, so not only has she improved the life of the turtles, she has improved the lives of the locals, and you can tell the river has no trash in it, which, if you have seen other rivers, are littered.

She educates the importance of keeping the area bio-diverse; they have also become an area where the monkeys can come and stay safe. Occasionally, you will see hippos on the riverbanks; they all live harmoniously.

My tour included releasing the baby turtles into the wild and showing how they protect the eggs and babies. Hence, they survive, so they follow them throughout life; according to the guides, the survival rate of the turtles is over 90%, which is incredible; a way to motivate and encourage those in her community is a way to conserve.

It shows how doing good can improve a small community and provide opportunities for children. One of the little boys worked so hard and he was always around, and he said with the money he gets from tips he will give to his mother to help her with bills and to buy food, he was no older than 14 years old. (Not toward a new video game as my 14 year old nephew would do)

He also wants to study tourism and learn how to show others his area, as well as he loves the turtles and wants to protect them. That is actual change and will only happen from within on their own, not from someone coming in and telling you what to do; hence when I visit somewhere, I never judge or tell them how to do anything.

It is not my place; change will happen if you want it bad enough; there is no shortcut; one can educate, but if they do not want to be educated, it is a waste of breath, so instead, I will keep my eyes open to those doing amazing things, and if you want to go there and support them and bring awareness, and also learning to me that is the best gift I can do as a tourist.

I want to be so passionate about a cause or have a purpose much bigger than I am, and to be driven to where my meaningless issues do not have any influence on my life because I am so sure about the bigger picture, one of humanity not just my selfishness of me, such a first world problem when you think about it.

XOXO

S.

Originally published here.