When Maya celebrated her birthday recently she did something very, very special. Rather than contribute to conspicuous consumption she made a sacrifice few kids would make. She forsook the treasure trove of toys in exchange for giving back to nature. Read the details in our interview with Maya below.

Playa Viva –” How did you get the idea to raise money for the turtle sanctuary?”
Maya –  “Because I always got presents and I knew how long I played with them which was just one day, and I thought maybe I should do something else for this birthday. “

Playa Viva – “How did you pick La Tortuga Viva?”
Maya – “Because it is the only one I know of and I really like how it helps save the most endangered turtles.”

Playa Viva – “How did you raise the money?”
Maya – “I asked everybody that came to my party not to bring gifts and to instead donate that money they would have been spending on presents.”

Playa Viva – “Did you learn anything about turtles and how people rescue turtles?”
Maya – “Yes. I learned that turtles are very endangered because people eat them and take the eggs from their nests and eat them too.  That causes there to be fewer turtles in the world, and their population is going down.  To rescue them, they cut off the beaches from cars and people.  After they hatch, they help the baby turtles into the ocean so they can be free.”

Playa Viva – “Was it fun and what did you enjoy about doing a fundraiser for your party?”
Maya – “It was fun because I knew the turtles would be safe and I knew I was doing something good.”

Maya, we applaud you for your sacrifice and commitment to making a contribution to promoting biodiversity and improving the chances of survival for marine turtles.  The funds raised by Maya were used to purchase cyclone fencing to expand the turtle sanctuary in order to have room to protect more eggs and thus more turtles. Thank you Maya and to all who attended your party and gave generously.