AN UPDATE FROM SENTINEL OCEAN ALLIANCE

We wanted to share a bit of where Sentinel Ocean Alliance is at right now.

Over the past few years, our work has expanded and deepened. Thousands of young people have come through our ocean education and ocean therapy programmes—showing up week after week, building confidence in the water, and beginning to form a lasting connection to the ocean.

As we look ahead, we’re starting to open up to new partners and supporters to help us continue and grow this work.

We’re reaching out to our wider community — friends, customers, collaborators, and people who’ve crossed paths with Sentinel along the way — because often the right connections come from exactly those places.

If something you read below resonates, we’d love to start a conversation.

What this looks like in practice

Our work is delivered through a set of integrated programmes:

• Ocean School – immersive, outdoor ocean education
• Turn the Tide – learn-to-swim and ocean safety in real conditions
• Indigo Programme – adaptive ocean access for neurodiverse and disabled learners
• Ocean Sentinels – youth leadership and advocacy
• Coach Programme – training and employing local youth as coaches

This isn’t once-off exposure — it’s a long-term pathway.

Our Impact so far

Since 2021:

• 1,646 children have learned to swim
• 19,810 young people have participated in programmes
• 2,084 sessions delivered
• 44,830 learning engagements
• 25 community members employed
• 226 neurodiverse learners supported
• 33,564 meals provided

But beyond the numbers, it’s:
confidence in the water, leadership emerging, and a real connection to the ocean.

Where we are now

Sentinel currently operates at around:
R4.5 million per year (~$280,000)

Most of this goes directly into programme delivery — coaches, transport, meals, and time in the water.

We’ve built a model that works.
Demand is growing.
The impact is clear.

And now — we need to sustain and expand it.

What funding makes possible

Support directly enables:

• consistent access for young people
• employment and training of local coaches
• transport and meals (which are critical for access)
• expansion of the special needs programme
• safe, structured ocean environments

In simple terms:
funding keeps the work happening — every day, in the water.

The opportunity

This is a chance to be part of something that is:

• already working on the ground
• deeply rooted in community
• aligned with global environmental and social priorities
• and beginning to expand beyond South Africa

We’re already seeing this model being taken into places like Mozambique, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

The potential is much bigger than one location.

Why partner with SOA

Because this is not abstract impact.
It’s visible, measurable, and human:

• kids learning to swim
• young people stepping into leadership
• communities reconnecting with the ocean
• And it sits at the intersection of:
• education, employment, and environmental stewardship.

In closing
We’re at an important moment.
We’ve built something strong — and now we need the right people alongside us to take it further.

If this resonates — whether as a funder, connector, or simply someone curious to learn more — we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s start a conversation: marguerite@sentineloceanalliance.org