Our School in Tongkaina

Before 2006, there was nothing in the village of Tongkaina. Now, thanks to sponsors, volunteers and donors, there is a real high school.

SMK Solagratia Tongkaina

The name of our school in North Sulawesi is SMK Solagratia Tongkaina. This is quite a mouthful, but means as much as “Tongkaina Christian Secondary Vocational School.”

We chose what is known as an SMK when choosing schooling. In Indonesia there are basically two options: an SMA (preparation for university studies), and an SMK which is comparable to a secondary vocational school.

Given the socioeconomic background of the village children, we chose the latter option. So we are training children for a real profession!

Ons schooltje in Noord Sulawesi, Indonesië

How it all began...

Our school did not come about without the necessary blood, sweat and tears. Read more about it here.

The various programs

Dive School

Dive tourism

Students spend the first year learning swimming, snorkeling and theory about the diving industry. In the second and third years, they are trained as Open Water, Advanced and Rescue divers with EFR.

Hotel School

Hotel tourism

Hotel training focuses primarily on front desk, housekeeping and restaurant jobs. We want to expand this further into kitchen and mechanical maintenance.

Tour N Travel

Tours & Travel

For those who can’t stay in the diving class, or choose not to, children learn how to work as tour guides and how to work at a travel agency.

SMK Solagratia Tongkaina

A success story

About 70% of all children who have now left school have found jobs and some have even completed university studies, something previously impossible for children from the villages. Two of them now teach at our school, eight are PADI Instructors and a large number are now Divemasters. Most hotels in town have employees coming from our school and in Thalassa ‘s dive center you dive exclusively with guides trained at our school.

Opportunities at the national level

Meanwhile, children from all over Indonesia come to our school. After graduation, they return to work and support their families.

Local dive guides

In particular, the dive tourism training sponsored by Thalassa Dive Resorts Indonesia and taught by Simone is very popular.

Leerkrachten van onze school

From student to teacher

Many of the Manadonese teachers are graduates of our school, so we retain as much in-house knowledge as possible and pass it on to the students. In addition to the previously mentioned subjects, we also cover subjects such as English, Japanese, history and mathematics.

Projects

In addition to the normal curriculum, the school also organizes various projects with the children. These projects promote general awareness towards the environment, with the aim of making every student an ambassador for nature!

Students Beach Clean Up

Beach Clean-ups

Every three months we organize a big beach clean-up on one of the islands in North Sulawesi.

Zombie Dance

Trash Zombie Dance

The “Trash Zombies” dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller to raise awareness for the waste problem.

Traditional Dance

Traditional Dance

Traditional dances done by the school’s students, as entertainment at resorts or during events in Manado.

Volunteers also contribute

Sometimes we have volunteers on the floor (mostly guests of Thalassa Dive Resorts Indonesia), who are only too happy to give the children a fun day through a workshop, teaching or giving a presentation from their area of expertise.

Other projects

In addition, we organized many other things, including:

  • A very successful demonstration against selling reef fish in plastic bags at the supermarket
  • Our diving students attended a Guinness World Book of Records attempt
  • Coral reef research and logging of coral bleaching.
  • Conducting workshops at other schools on environmental issues
  • We have had guest teachers for English, drama and percussion.

We do a lot of good but we can't do it alone.

We need your help. Adopt a student make a one-time or regular donation, anything is possible. Our board is 100% volunteers and will be happy to explain what you can do to help these children and give them a better life.

Sponsor een kind

Hoe werkt het?

Wat fijn dat je je wilt inzetten voor onze kids!

Hoe werkt het?

It's great that you want to get involved with our kids!

How does it work?

Sponsor a child

How does it work?