Africa-Press – Seychelles. • Meet Athina Antoine, Roanna Lesperance, Maria Brioche and Farida Camille …
With exactly a month before a group of Seychellois women set sail to discover 18 bays in the inner islands, Fanm Seselwa – the organising committee behind the ‘Around Seychelles in 18 Bays’ project is pleased to present four more contestants.
The project is the brainchild of a group of women, including members of Seychelles Women and Sports Association (Swasa) and the event is to be held on June 10 to coincide with World Oceans Day, to raise funds for charity.
Besides being a charity event, the project will be raising awareness on the versatility of ‘Fanm Seselwa’, the oceans and Liam’s Rainbow Foundation.
Athina Antoine (Assistant Science and Technical Officer, Nature Seychelles)
“I am pleased and honoured to have been selected to participate in the ‘Around Seychelles in 18 Bays’ charity sailing event. I am eagerly looking forward to joining the all-female crew to celebrate World Oceans Day 2023. I strongly believe that the world needs strong and dedicated women and I aspire to be one myself. Professionally, I am part of Nature Seychelles’ coral reef restoration team known as the ‘Reef Rescuers’. We are restoring coral reefs degraded by climate change around Cousin Island. I joined Nature Seychelles in 2017 with no experience whatsoever in restoration. Over the years, I have broadened my knowledge and soaked up as much information as I can from experts around the world in this field. I have also worked with some of the best in this field and built my professional experience. I can now proudly say I am among one of the few young Seychelloise to have been dedicated and passionate about restoring our country’s coral reefs. After embarking on this journey, to try and save the reefs in Seychelles, I’m hoping to spread more awareness to people about the importance of our underwater flora and fauna and how everyone can help in making a difference. One thing I have learned is that there is no limit to what we as women can accomplish.”
Roanna Lesperance (Fisherwoman)
“I am Ms Roanna Lesperance. As a young fisherwomen and past student of the Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture, it has always been my dream to follow in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to work in the maritime world. As a brave female on Praslin I am interested in fishing and also a little bit of farming, since I come from a family who is involved in both fields. I decided to join the ‘Around Seychelles in 18 Bays’ project because I have a passion working with both marine and agricultural species. I also want to represent my beloved island of Praslin. As a young female, my aim is to help other groups of women protect our beautiful oceans and show other women what a pleasure it is to work at sea and in agriculture. I feel that nowadays people do not really care about our animals, plant species and other organisms that live in the ocean and on land. People must know that the oceans provide 50 percent of the world’s oxygen and that farming provides most of the world’s food and fabrics. My message is simple, ‘Stop polluting our seas and stop relying on imported food!’”
Maria Brioche (Education and Outreach Specialist)
“Working in nature and educating people is what I love doing. Be it terrestrial or marine
environment, educating not only the youths but the different groups in the community, is one of my passion. The land as well as the ocean consist of amazing wonders which provide endless opportunities for learning, so being in nature provides a large range of resources for learning. As the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Seychelles Islands Foundation, it is a privilege for me to share my knowledge with others, especially with the children.
I am also involved with the PAREO project whereby I am able to conduct classes for children
at Baie Ste Anne and Grand Anse primary schools about the protection of the coral reef. This
project allows me to not only educate the children about the coral reef protection but also
provide an opportunity to learn from the experts. I love being part of this charity sailing event, as the money that will be collected will go to the Liam’s Rainbow Foundation. As a mother and the fact that I live on Praslin, I hope that such charitable cause would also benefit the sick children on my island.”
Miss Farida Camille (Founder/Chairperson Unique Foundation)
“I am a qualified teacher, holding a master’s degree in special needs Education, and have held managerial positions during the years that I was teaching and also led many projects in the community. Through my endless love and commitment towards children and youth, I founded and chair Unique Foundation, an NGO devoted to Positive Youth Development. My deep love and care for Seychelles connected me to this event. I decided to participate in the ‘Around Seychelles in 18 Bays’ project because I believe that we are abundantly blessed to live in this country and my heart is all for Seychelles, its unique nature, culture, and the development of its people. I believe in building the love for Seychelles in the young generations. Along with other volunteers in Unique Foundation we devote time and energy towards our projects in order to reassure the children and youth that we believe in them, we believe that they are talented, we believe that they can make a positive difference and we are there to mentor and coach them so that they can become great citizens. We know that children do care for the environment and for others. I will represent my community in this charitable event and ensure that we raise funds for the specific causes because We Care and WE are Seychelles.”
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