Ebiil Society is a nonprofit located in Palau, an island in Oceania, that aims to restore marine habitats, support women in fisheries, and run youth and teacher programs based on traditional knowledge. The organization began in 2005, when a group of local anglers and elders came together to help protect the local environment, inspired by reports of abandoned gear tangling within the mangroves and impacting seagrass beds. Today, the team works to recover derelict fishing gear, revive local ecosystems, and reconnect the community with traditional stewardship practices.
Biome Trust is rewilding resources by committing its endowment to the protection and regeneration of the living planet. The organization focuses on environmental restoration and conservation, education, and public health. Based in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Project story
The Mesei System: Restoring Our Mother
In Ollei village, the mesei—a traditional taro patch system—has sustained our community for generations. As a Palauan proverb teaches us, "A mesei a delal a telid": the taro is the mother of our life's breath. Women have cultivated these fertile patches for over four generations, passing down knowledge of organic farming, irrigation, and herbal traditions to daughters like those at Camp Ebiil.
Three years ago, a dam expansion flooded our mesei, forcing us to abandon our ancestral gardens. After fighting for justice, the utility corporation retrofitted the dam—but the damage remained. Today, our mesei is overgrown with grass, waterways are clogged, and our cultural foundation lies dormant.
Restoring the mesei requires significant labor and resources: clearing waterways, rebuilding huts and bridges, replanting taro, and sourcing organic fertilizers and taro chutes. This restoration means far more than recovering a food source. It means reclaiming our identity, nourishing our families and clans, and honoring the sacred role women play in sustaining our community.
With your support, we can breathe life back into our mesei and restore our way of life.
Project updates
Team
Restoring Mesei, Cultural Taro Patches, in Ollei, Palau
Ebiil Society is a nonprofit located in Palau, an island in Oceania, that aims to restore marine habitats, support women in fisheries, and run youth and teacher programs based on traditional knowledge. The organization began in 2005, when a group of local anglers and elders came together to help protect the local environment, inspired by reports of abandoned gear tangling within the mangroves and impacting seagrass beds. Today, the team works to recover derelict fishing gear, revive local ecosystems, and reconnect the community with traditional stewardship practices.
Biome Trust is rewilding resources by committing its endowment to the protection and regeneration of the living planet. The organization focuses on environmental restoration and conservation, education, and public health. Based in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Project story
The Mesei System: Restoring Our Mother
In Ollei village, the mesei—a traditional taro patch system—has sustained our community for generations. As a Palauan proverb teaches us, "A mesei a delal a telid": the taro is the mother of our life's breath. Women have cultivated these fertile patches for over four generations, passing down knowledge of organic farming, irrigation, and herbal traditions to daughters like those at Camp Ebiil.
Three years ago, a dam expansion flooded our mesei, forcing us to abandon our ancestral gardens. After fighting for justice, the utility corporation retrofitted the dam—but the damage remained. Today, our mesei is overgrown with grass, waterways are clogged, and our cultural foundation lies dormant.
Restoring the mesei requires significant labor and resources: clearing waterways, rebuilding huts and bridges, replanting taro, and sourcing organic fertilizers and taro chutes. This restoration means far more than recovering a food source. It means reclaiming our identity, nourishing our families and clans, and honoring the sacred role women play in sustaining our community.
With your support, we can breathe life back into our mesei and restore our way of life.
Project updates
Team
Location
Palau
Round 3
Jul 1-21, 2026
Supporting community-led nature projects around the world.
Matching funds provided by
