[Gabriela] Nathania and [Avicenna] Wijayannto were in the second cohort of Indonesia’s first marine conservation training program for women, developed by the nonprofit Coral Catch. “In Indonesia, many women living close to the ocean had never been given the opportunity to swim, dive or envision careers linked to marine science and conservation,” says its founder, Rose Huizenga. “At the same time, reef restoration efforts often struggle to create long-term local stewardship and ownership.” She founded Coral Catch in Gili Air to create pathways for women to gain diving, conservation and leadership skills while actively participating in coral restoration and ocean stewardship. Instead of treating marine restoration in Indonesia as a conservation challenge alone, Coral Catch, from its very inception, saw it as a workforce challenge. In 2021, Coral Catch launched a restoration scholarship program, an intensive nine-week curriculum that teaches local women interested in conservation and nature-based careers everything from crafting reef structures with bent steel and monitoring their progress, to organizing beach clean-ups and inspiring local children to care about conservation. “We’re building confidence, self-belief and a sense of belonging in marine spaces that has proven to be a critical first step before technical capacities develop,” Huizenga says. Across 12 cohorts, Coral Catch has trained 44 women from all over Indonesia.