Education Seychelles Project #6374

Advancing Young Lives Through Education Seychelles

by Action Change (Formerly GVI Trust)

Project Report | Mar 4, 2017
Re-invigorating our work with Presidents Village

By Fanchon Wright | GVI Seychelles, Field Staff

The EcoMarathon Fundraiser

Dear Supporters,

Our work with Presidents Village Children’s Home continues to develop and flourish. Following a meeting with the new manager of the home, we have developed a new scheme of work for the children.

Revamped Program

We will begin the program with the youngest children of 4-8 years and increase the ratio of staff/ volunteers to children. The lesson program will begin with developing the children’s’ swimming skills then developing this into becoming comfortable with snorkelling. Once this becomes second nature we will start to introduce more formal teaching into the program. For the young ones, this will be simply identifying some of the common fish and invertebrate species and some land-based learning through play activities.

This basic framework will be built upon in a spiral curriculum fashion for the older children. The higher ratio will really benefit the older children as we will be more able to differentiate for their needs. For example, the swimming ability and English language competence is more variable with age. We are all very excited about the implementation of this more structured framework and have purchased a full complement of snorkelling equipment for each age group with the funds from your generous donations. In addition, the higher ratio of GVI personnel enables the children to develop their soft skills more effectively as they will be able to build confidence to use their English language skills in a small group setting.

Race for Rupees

We have just completed our fundraising event for this quarter; ‘Race for Rupees’. A number of volunteers and staff members joined the Seychelles EcoMarathon challenge held in Beau Vallon on Sunday 26^th February. Volunteers were encouraged to participate in any way they could, be it running, walking as a fancy dress participant, or going for the distance in the half marathon. Other volunteers were divided into support teams for the runners to help make costumes, banners and give their runners a cheer on race day. The day itself was perfect weather for running – raining buckets! Which is much better than the normal heat and humidity of the Seychelles! Everyone did really well runners and sodden supporters and we’re really proud of team GVI. Funds received from the event will be donated to President’s Village in due course to help towards the replacement of white goods and upgrading the furniture in the toddler’s accommodation building.

The rest of the Quarter

Still to come this quarter we’re getting ready for Creole Day next month where we spend a day at the children’s home providing them with a selection of activities. We’re also jointly organising an Adventure Race with our partner organisation Seychelles National Park Authority to celebrate the 44^th Anniversary of St Anne Marine Park – the oldest national park in the Seychelles. All profit from the event will be donated to Presidents Village. Watch this space to find out more.

Thank you for your continued support!

With Gratitude,
GVI Seychelles

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Dec 16, 2016
Looking back on 2016 in the Seychelles

By Mariliana Leotta | GVI Cap Ternay, Base Manager

Annual Raft Race Fun!

Dear Supporters,

We support the President’s Village Children’s Home which provides housing and care for up to 65 children from vulnerable backgrounds. Accommodation and activities at the home are split up by sex and age group and while they do receive some government funding, they rely on donations to maintain and improve the quality of life for the residents.

Our main fundraising event was our annual raft race which was held in Baie Ternay on the 8^th of October and jointly organised with our partner organisation SNPA. This year saw the biggest turn out so far with 14 teams participating, up from 5 the previous year. In addition to raising money for our partners, we also wanted to raise awareness about waste management. All the rafts had to be home-made from previously used and / or sustainable materials e.g. jerry cans, old life jackets and buoys, bamboo etc. It was really good to see how much effort the teams put into using recycled materials for their rafts and the event was covered by local TV and radio so we can expect an even bigger event next year! A massive thank you to SNPA for helping with the organisation and providing the trophies; To the Ephelia Hotel and Sustainability 4 Seychelles (S4S) for their prize donations; everyone who generously donated food for the BBQ; and of course to all the participants; families; supporters and donors who all helped make this such a special day.

To boost our funds for Presidents village we have improved our log books by professionally printing on thick card for the covers, updated species lists and turtle ID and reducing the books to half A5 so they fit in pockets easily. This has boosted sales of log books. In addition, we have started making purses out of used tetra packs that can be sold at events such as the raft race and the upcoming Seychelles Sea Festival.

Our next event ‘Christmas Creole’ is held on the 5^th of December and your funds will go directly to buying presents for the children. For many this may be the only gift they receive at Christmas and we are really pleased that we are able to give the children something they wished for. Some of our long-term volunteers this quarter have formed strong bonds with the children and I’m sure they will find it so rewarding to see how their fundraising efforts impact them.

Funds raised also go towards buying arts and crafts supplies and sports equipment to use at creole days as well as replacing floaties and snorkelling gear for our weekly beach sessions. In addition, donations are used to buy essentials for the home such as kitchenware, washing machine, deep freezer. Funds left over this quarter will be used to replace some of the old snorkel gear, and making sure we have a range of sizes to suit all.

Our involvement with PV will continue next year with our weekly snorkel sessions, we are discussing other ways we can help the home e.g. homework support, swimming lessons etc., and visiting the home regularly for ‘Creole Days’.

A massive thank you to everyone who has made a donation to PV, and to all our volunteers and staff for your hard work and unlimited enthusiasm and energy with the children.

We wish you all a happy and prosperous 2017!

With Gratitude,
GVI Seychelles

Fun times by the sea

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Oct 12, 2016
Fun and Games for President's Village Continue!

By Fanny | GVI Seychelles, Base Manger

Dear supporters,

Here at GVI Cap Ternay we are continuing to build our partnership with the President's Village Children’s Home the children are really warming to our new group of volunteers which is a pleasure to see.

Our big event this quarter was ‘Creole Day’. For this event, GVI prepared games to bring to the village to share with the children. We had a football tournament, crafts such as painting, face painting, making friendship bracelets, twister, coconut bowling, pin the fin on the shark and other games on the field. We also brought heaps of energy and enthusiasm to the day! The children at the home are just fabulous and really enjoyed the activities and just hanging out with our team.

Your donations were integral to making this day a success as loads of art supplies and other consumables were put to good use on the day; thank you so much for your support!

Our regular snorkel sessions with the children continue to be a highlight on Tuesday afternoons and it’s a great way for our shorter term volunteers to get a chance to interact with the children. The children are always excited to play games on the beach and in the water, wrestle on the floaties and practice their swimming skills and we are on hand to ensure their safety as well as teach the children about the flora and fauna they see during the snorkel.

Our big event for the coming quarter is the Cap Ternay Raft Race. During this event, teams make their own rafts from reusable / recycled materials and paddle a course to the end of our bay and back. So watch this space for updates on the event.

Our next fundraising goals are to raise funds for the next Creole Day – Creole Christmas which will be held in early December. In addition to providing a fun day for the children, we also give out Christmas presents to all the children. The home has also produced a list of items in the home that need replacing due to wear and tear. Your generous support will help to ensure they get something on their wish list and make the day a bigger success.

Thank you for your continued support!

With gratitude,

GVI Seychelles

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