FWCF joins International Coastal Cleanup for cleaner seas

The Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) hosted the sixth annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day activity at the Coral Gardens Citizen Association Beach, joining millions of volunteers across the globe in the 40th staging of the world’s largest coastal cleanup movement.

This year’s International Coastal Cleanup carried the theme ‘Sea the Change’, with the sub-theme ‘What the Foam’, highlighting the growing dangers posed by plastic and foam pollution to marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods. Locally, the event was made possible through the sponsorship of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and supported internationally by the Ocean Conservancy, the non-profit organisation that launched ICC in 1985.

FWCF Executive Founder Africka Stephens and member Aaliyah Innis spearheaded the Montego Bay cleanup, working alongside dedicated volunteers from Record of Youth, a Cornwall College alumna-led non-profit that focuses on reducing plastic waste across western Jamaica.

“As a Montegonian living just 30 minutes from the beach, protecting the ocean has always been central to my advocacy,” Stephens said during the event. “Our seas sustain livelihoods, tourism, and culture, yet they face serious threats from pollution and climate change. Small, community-led actions like this demonstrate that adaptation is both urgent and possible.”

The International Coastal Cleanup has mobilised over 7 million volunteers in more than 150 countries since its inception, collectively removing over 350 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide. In Jamaica, the movement has been coordinated by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) since 2008, with hundreds of sites cleaned annually by schools, service clubs, corporate groups, and community-based organizations like FWCF.

For FWCF, this year’s cleanup is part of a broader calendar of climate action initiatives. Members of the organisation participated in the Caribbean Youth Climate Council Conference where they contributed to the drafting of the Caribbean Youth Declaration on Climate and Environmental Action. The declaration calls for urgent regional collaboration, sustainable financing, and youth-led innovation to address the escalating climate crisis.

With over 96 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP and population exposed to climate-related hazards such as hurricanes, flooding, and sea level rise (UNEP), the stakes for environmental stewardship could not be higher. FWCF believes that meaningful progress lies in equipping young people with the knowledge, tools, and platforms to lead climate adaptation and resilience projects in their own communities.