"I love animals. They are fascinating organisms. There is something inside of me that just resonates with them,” says a radiant Félipe Saelmans on the last afternoon on his favorite island, Bonaire. Félipe Saelmans is 12 years old and has lost his heart to Bonaire’s natural world. He is a youngster on a mission. His goal is to raise as much money as possible for the nature and wildlife of the Dutch Caribbean Islands.
Félipe started his own foundation called Sea and Land Wonders Dutch Caribbean after a visit to the island last year. The motivated minor had been awarded with the title ‘Best Junior Ranger of the Year 2014’ by the Dutch World Wide Fund for Nature (Wereld Natuur Fonds WNF) for raising the most funds for the nonprofit organization. The coveted award included a trip to Bonaire for Félipe and his father Léon Saelmans.
Félipe explains: “It was a wonderful trip. We saw so much of Bonaire’s beautiful nature and underwater world. Part of the funds I raised last year were used to buy Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) a much-needed boat and they took me along to see the turtle nests and the eggs hatch at Klein Bonaire. I cleaned the beach and looked for bats at night with the STINAPA junior rangers, I visited the ECHO parrot conservatory by Dos Pos. I was also invited by the Coral Restoration Foundation to dive down and see their coral restoration project. I learned to dive before I came to Bonaire (smiles.) A diving club in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, was kind enough to prepare me for a guided dive down to 11 meters to see the coral project with my own eyes.”

The visit left such a positive impact on Félipe that he decided to start his own foundation. His eyes sparkle and the dedication in them is crystal clear as he explains that in order to raise funds for his own foundation he didn’t just visit business and companies to ask for donations but he also wanted people to get something in return for their contribution. “I was doing vacation work at a flower auction house close to our home in Tegelen, Venlo. I learned a lot about flowers – how to create bouquets of roses, how to treat them properly, how to sort through them but most importantly I was taught how to buy flowers at auction.”
His dad Léon clarifies that Félipe seemed to have an eye for the financial figures and was soon allowed to help out his superior at buying at auction. With his quick entrepreneurial mind Félipe saw an opportunity for his own foundation. By buying flowers at auction and selling them himself he wanted to raise funds for his foundation. The boss agreed and even sponsored the first five hundred bouquets of roses. The young student smiles and says: “I also really liked the idea of being able to give people something for their faith in my foundation. Something from nature! – flowers.” Félipe also organized a fundraising running event with the participation of 1300 students of the Valuascollege in Venlo, his school. Félipe humbly states: “It was a lot of fun. All students ran for nature.”
With these funds in hand he came to Bonaire, from October 26 to November 3, 2015, and surprised the various local non-governmental organizations that had so impressed him the year before with substantial donations. STINAPA’s communications coordinator, Anouschka van de Ven, was asked to facilitate the informal meeting at Bonaire’s Harbour Village Resort, who kindly provided the family with a place to stay. According to Van de Ven: “It was supposed to be top secret. The surprise was evident when the organizations found out how much money they were receiving from this young boy!” The Coral Restoration Foundation received a donation of 9000 Euros, STINAPA Bonaire received 7500 Euros, STCB 6500 euro and ECHO 4000 euros.
This time around Félipe Saelmans revisited the great local projects he has wholeheartedly embraced. He went out looking for turtle nests with STCB and found one on Klein Bonaire. “There were 34 little turtles hatching!” he explains excitedly. He got his Open Water diving certificate and dove down to visit the Coral Reef Restoration again. As a dedicated Coral Lover he cleaned and replaced the coral underwater. He is a true advocate of coral reef preservation and calls these productive ecosystems the pharmacies of the future as research is being done on them to find treatments for cancer, AIDS and meningitis. He is also going to organize an education program at elementary schools in The Netherlands and was asked to become an ambassador for STINAPA’s Shark Awareness program. That way he will raise consciousness for the sharks in the waters of the Dutch Caribbean.
Félipe’s passion for nature is clear and his dedication to this beautiful cause that benefits us all is evident when he states: “Together we are strong and we CAN make a difference.” Here’s thanks to Félipe for being a child of our future – and to a green and healthy planet!