Category Archives: Seychelles

21 July 2020 | Religion

President Danny Faure welcomed a delegation from the Seychelles Bible Society of Seychelles at State House this afternoon.

Led by the Vice-Chairperson of the Seychelles Bible Society, Pastor Abel Ntep Ntep, during the meeting the members present shared with the President some of the key accomplishments of the society over the past 5 years, current projects and programmes being implemented, and plans for the future. The delegation shared an update on key ongoing projects including the 'Trauma Healing' project and the establishment of a Bible House with facilities to accommodate the operation and cater for future projects.

President Faure expressed his appreciation to the Bible society for the invaluable work they are doing in the country and reiterated his full support for the conception of the Bible house.

The delegation also presented the President with a copy of their Strategic Plan for 2018-2022.

Also present at State House for the meeting was the Executive Secretary of the Bible Society of Seychelles, Mrs Margaret Maillet, Reverend Bryan Volcere, Pastor Michael Bijoux, Pastor Eddy Payet and Ms Raymonde Onezime, a Member of the Bible Society Board.

Editor's Note:

The vision and mission of the Bible Society of Seychelles is focused on ensuring the Bible is easily available and accessible and promote the use of Holy Scriptures. They also aim to raise support through local contributions for the local and worldwide work of the Bible Society and work in partnership with all churches and church-related organisations.

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President Faure receives members of the Seychelles Bible Society - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

20 July 2020 | Religion

President Danny Faure welcomed a delegation from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Seychelles at State House this afternoon.

The delegation led by Pastor Solofo Georges Jean Mesmert thanked the President for making the time to receive them at State House and conveyed the appreciation of the church for the continuous support from government and the consultative approach that exists between the church and government.

The meeting was an opportunity for the delegation to share the work of the church and some of the community-based activities currently in place dedicated as outreach for those at risk, including future plans to expand their outreach programme Light House involving rehabilitation and counselling support.

During discussions, President Faure reaffirmed governments commitment to maintaining strong relations with the Seven-Day Adventist Church and thanked them on behalf of the people of Seychelles for their work targeted at communities in need and empowering citizens.

Other members of the delegation included Pastor Norris Barra, Mr Hugh Watts, Mrs Natalie Edmond.

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President Faure receives delegation from Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Seychelles - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Two teachers from Abu Dhabi have described becoming stranded in the Seychelles for nearly four months after coronavirus forced an extended holiday on the couple.

Husband and wife Casey James, 33, and Cotie Howard, 32, found themselves trapped on the archipelago after international flights were grounded.

The couple left the UAE in early March for a last-minute luxury holiday intended to take just 11 days.

But as the pandemic struck they had no choice but to stay put, leading to an unexpected, but idyllic, 15 weeks in the tropical paradise.

We were really lucky compared to other couples staying in the Seychelles who paid a fortune to stay four months in a hotel, said Mr James, a Grade Three primary teacher at Raha International School in the UAE capital.

The hardest part was not knowing when we could return or how much it was going to cost us

Casey James

It is not a cheap place to go, and we only planned 11 days, so thought we could cut costs by staying in guest houses.

The hardest part was not knowing when we could return or how much it was going to cost us.

Mr James, from Canada, and Ms Howard, from the United States, flew out to the Seychelles on March 9.

The holiday promised days of breathtaking strolls along remote sandy beaches followed by cooling drinks as the sun dipped towards the Indian Ocean horizon.

Ten days into their extravagant retreat, however, and the UAE announced it was closing its borders to inbound flights.

Despite the move, the couple were reassured their Air Seychelles flight would take-off as scheduled, and they headed to the airport.

It was only on arriving at Mahes international terminal that their fate was sealed.

Immigration officials said they could fly on elsewhere but not home. The couple decided to stay.

There was a possibility of transiting so we thought about flying back to the US but flights were closing all the time so we decided to stay put, said Mr James.

If we had gone back to the States we would have had an 11-hour time difference so would have had to teach [our UAE classes] in the middle of the night.

A week later we realised we would have to stay there for the foreseeable future.

Mr James revealed he and his wife were able to keep their total spend during the nearly four months down to Dh18,000.

They stayed at a beachside guesthouse at the Farida Apartments in Pointe Au Sel, where the owners charged them a special monthly rate of Dh3,300.

The pair did have to pay Dh3,000 for two laptops to allow them to continue working while away.

But they managed to rent a car for only Dh730 for their entire stay, allowing them to travel around the island.

We just didnt think we would be there for almost four months, said Mr James.

There were three weeks of full lockdown on the island with no one allowed to leave their homes except to buy supplies.

This beautiful beach was right next to us, but we were not allowed to set foot on it.

We ended up doing 15 weeks of online distance learning. At least we were in the same time zone as the UAE, so the only issues were with the Wi-Fi occasionally cutting out.

Mr James said he was able to keep in touch with all the latest travel updates by joining various social media groups for others in similar predicaments.

A cleaner in the Emirates even took in the couples cat, Frank, and after applying to come home they managed to secure approval.

"We know how lucky we were to be able to continue teaching," Mr James said.

His return was approved and while waiting for her application to be approved, his wife decided to fly to Oregon to be with her family.

Although Ms Howard remains in the US, Mr James flew back to the UAE on an Air Seychelles cargo flight on July 4, paying Dh2,350 for his ticket.

It is place we will keep in our hearts, he said. It was a special time but also very strange.

We realised we were lucky to be making a salary while being stuck. Not many people can say they had a work staycation for four months in the Seychelles.

Updated: July 18, 2020 12:22 PM

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Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi couple spent 15 weeks in the Seychelles after flights were grounded - The National

15 July 2020 | Cabinet Business

President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 15thJuly at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.

Cabinet approved the National Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Strategy.

Cabinet approved amendment to Section 29A of the Central Bank of Seychelles Act 2004.

Cabinet also approved temporary measures for Licensees under the Seychelles Gambling Act due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cabinet approved for the signing of Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of Seychelles and Chainvine Ltd on the Seychelles National Asset Management System (SNAMS).

Cabinet approved the Export of Fishery Products (Designated Landing Site) Order 2020.

Cabinet also approved the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), draft initial offer for Seychelles under the Protocol for Trade in Services.

Cabinet approved the Proceeds of Crime (Civil Confiscation) Amendment Bill 2020.

Cabinet approved the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles (Tenth Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Cabinet also approved the policy on agricultural production.

Cabinet approved proposal to extend Government support to Registered Commercial Livestock producers.

Cabinet approved for the Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning to be added as an approval authority for the import permit for the importation of motor vehicles.

Cabinet also approved the setting up of a Culture and Education Advisory Committee.

Cabinet was briefed on the status of the COVID -19 pandemic locally and globally. Cabinet was also updated on progress made on implementation of the National Framework for Integrated Management of the reopening of Seychelles.

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Cabinet Business - Wednesday 15th July 2020 - News - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

The holiday destination confirmed the authorisation for commercial flights to enter Seychelles as of August 1, 2020.

The new lift in air travel restrictions on the destination comes as an indication of the successful progression of the implementation of the first phase of movement restrictions effective as of June 1, 2020.

As the destination tops holidays searches in the region, the availability of flights comes at an opportune time for visitors planning to find a peaceful and picturesque vacation.

It is with the aim of ensuring the safety of visitors travelling to Seychelles for a holiday and the local population that a new series of guidelines has been issued by the Public Health Authority in Seychelles and the Tourism Stakeholders.

The guidelines, which has been meticulously discussed by all the different parties within the Seychelles tourism industry, encompasses various information relating to travelling to Seychelles and the requirements for the same to happen under the new normal.

The document, which also includes the list of countries, has been made available on the department of tourism website since Friday July 3, 2020 and can be accessed via the following link: http://tourism.gov.sc/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Seychelles-Visitor-Travel-Advisory.pdf

The following information emphasised Testing- Proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding the flight to Seychelles remains mandatory for all visitors.- Passengers boarding from medium risk countries are expected to conduct a PCR test within 72 hours of travel while passengers boarding from low risk countries are required to submit to an antigen test within 72 hours of travel.- Airlines companies are strongly advised not to board any passengers or crew who are symptomatic of COVID-19.- Any passenger who arrives in Seychelles without this proof will be turned back on the same aircraft.- Entry screening will be done upon arrival starting with completion of the health check form, symptomatic check, temperature scanning.- Visitors may be required to undergo a rapid antigen test.- It is compulsory for all visitors to provide travel insurance coverage.

Reservation and Stay- Visitors planning on a holiday in Seychelles are encouraged to book their accommodation and leisure activities through licensed tourism service providers that have been certified by the Public Health Authority.- Upon disembarking in Seychelles all visitors will be required to provide proof of accommodation in an approved establishment for the entire period of stay and must show booking vouchers at the Immigration desk.- In order to ensure safety of their visitors, local service providers are expected to intensify their vigilance and hygiene measures within their premises and while providing their services.- Daily monitoring by designated Health and Safety officers in accommodation facilities for the first 14 days after arrival of a guest.- Local service providers will be required to keep a trackable movement log of their guests for the first 14 days after arrival of a holiday in Seychelles.

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Commercial flights to be welcomed to Seychelles in August 2020 - Travel Daily News International

Located northeast of the unique Africa addendum that is Madagascar, Seychelles is an archipelagic nation with over 160 islands, according to the countrys constitution.

Historians agree that for much of recorded history, the islands were inhabited although it was sighted by Portuguese historian Thom Lopes in 1503. But it is possible that Arabic and Austronesian seafarers settled temporarily on some Seychellois islands around the time or earlier than Lopes recorded his sighting.

The Austronesian are a unit of peoples who share linguistic commonalities. They are scattered on islands from the South China Sea to Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

A huge constituent of Seychelles 100,000 or fewer people are of Austronesian heritage. But among the people, there is also a very palpable connection to France due to 18th-century maneuvers by then King of France.

Realizing that the Seychelles were, in their perspective, no mans lands, the French began to take control from the 1750s. A French captain, Nicolas Morphey, laid claim to the islands in 1756 with the blessing of King Louis XV.

As was the tradition, the Seychelles islands were named in honor of someone of privilege, in this case, Louis XVs finance minister, Jean Moreau de Schelles. And until 1794, the islands remained under the control of the French.

When other European nations rose up in arms against the French in what is called War of First of Coalition, the British took the fight to some of Frances international territories, including Seychelles. France surrendered in First Coalition and as punishment, had to forfeit such territories as Mauritius ad Seychelles.

Frances acquiescence to the forfeitures was ratified by the 1814 Treaty of Paris. Britain then ran Mauritius and Seychelles as one colony until 1903.

In 1976, Seychelles was granted independence by the British. The country has since leveraged its geography to become one of the favorite destinations for holidaymakers across the world.

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How the Seychelles Islands came to have its name - Face2Face Africa

A British family is leaving their comfortable life in London in order to pursue something more.

The Seath family, including Karolina, Barry and their two children, are about to move to an island you probably never heard of in a bid to help replenish and revitalize the areas coral reef, which have been ravaged by the rising sea temperatures off the coast of Africas smallest island.

The island in the Seychelles, measuring just 400 metres long by 300 metres wide, will play host to the familys land-based coral farm, which will only be the second of its kind in the entire world the other being on Australias Great Barrier Reef.

We are just a normal husband, wife, and two kids, living the sort of life that most others do but we felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children, and the world we had largely taken for granted, Barry Seath said.

So we have sold our home and parted company with most of our worldly possessions.

Barry says hes taken several vacations to the Seychelles, and each time the Seaths witnessed the slow deterioration of the reefs as they went snorkelling around the islands coast.

Moyenne Island in the Seychelles. (SWNS)

Every time we visited, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse, he said.

All the tourists say the same thing. They love the beaches, but are really disappointed with the coral. They expect these lush coral reefs, but what they actually find is lots of coral rubble.

More than 15 years as the head of a London recruitment firm was enough for Barry, who decided a change was needed so he could show their two daughters an enviro-friendly way of alternate living.

After making that decision, Barry partnered with coral experts at the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles in order to build and develop the islands new farming facility, which is scheduled to take just three months and cost around 25,000.

Aside from the environmental sustainability aspects of their new endeavour, Barry says the family also hopes to bring more visitors back to the tiny African nation as its tourism-dependent economy has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Our long-term goal is to show everyone thatwith just a relatively small investmentyou can make a serious impact on the marine environment that will in turn boost the tourism industry. It should be a no-brainer.

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British family moving to Africa's smallest island to save its coral reefs - Yahoo News Canada

Karolina and Barry Seath, together with their daughters seven-year-old Josephine and 11-year-old Georgina sold their home in Putney, southwest London, and are moving to Moyenne Island, a tiny island nature reserve off the north coast of Mahe in the Seychelles.

The family aim to create a coral farm that will repopulate the nearby reef, which has been devastated by climate change and other human-related factors.

They have set up a charity, Coral Reef Conservation UK, after witnessing the destruction of the coral reefs first-hand during family holidays to the Seychelles.

Barry said: Every time we visited the Seychelles, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse. All the tourists say the same thing they love the beaches, but are really disappointed with the coral. They expect these lush coral reefs, but what they actually find is lots of coral rubble.

We felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children and the world we had largely taken for granted.

The Seath family hopes that helping to rebuild the coral reefs will assist in boosting visitors numbers to the Seychelles in the future, as its tourist industry has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their coral farm in the Seychelles will only be the second in the world the first one is on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is expected to take some three months to build the farm, at a cost of 25,000, but once complete, they aim to grow around 10,000 corals a year. These will be nurtured to a suitable size, and then transplanted on to the local reefs.

Moyenne Island was designated the worlds smallest national park in 2012, after its only inhabitant, British ex-pat Brendon Grimshaw, died. He bought the Seychelles island back in 1962 and lived there for four decades, during which time he planted thousands of trees and introduced native giant tortoises, which are still on the island.

Barry said: The island has an amazing history. There are stories of hotel groups and rich individuals wanting to buy the island from Brendon.

They told him he could just name his price, but he refused every time. He didnt want it to be developed.

We hope to honor Brendons legacy, by using the island as the venue of our first coral farm.

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British Family Of Four Relocates To Tiny Island In The Seychelles - Scuba Diver Magazine

01 July 2020 | Cabinet Business

President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 1st July at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.

Cabinet approved for the implementation of the Immovable property Tax Act, 2019.

Cabinet approved for the ratification of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Cabinet also approved the Procedure for the Execution of Treaties.

Cabinet also approved the Tourism Development (Boat Charter) Regulations.

Cabinet approved for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation between the Department of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Seychelles and the International Young Leaders Club.

Cabinet was briefed on the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Developments Communication Strategy 2019-2022.

Cabinet was also briefed by the Human Rights Commission on the implementation of its mandate, and on the proactive role the Commission could play in protecting human rights in Seychelles.

Cabinet was briefed on the COVID -19 pandemic, the Spanish crew change incident and progress on National Framework for integrated management of the reopening of Seychelles.

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Cabinet Business - 1 July 2020 - News - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Rather than continue living a comfortable urban life, this British family has sold their London home in favor of launching the worlds smallest nature reserve to save a nations coral reef system.

Karolina and Barry Seathalong with their two young daughtersare preparing to move to an island in the Seychelles measuring just 1,300 feet long by 980 feet wide (400 by 300 meters).

Theyve launched a charity and teamed up with local biologists in a bid to revitalize the coral reefs in the smallest African country, which have been devastated by rising sea temperatures.

Their land-based coral farm will be only the second of its kind in the world, the other being on Australias Great Barrier Reef, to specialize in regrowing coral to regenerate the reef.

47-year-old Barry, who is a former recruitment consultant and policeman, said: We are just a normal husband, wife, and two kids, living the sort of life that most others do but we felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children, and the world we had largely taken for granted. So we have sold our home and parted company with most of our worldly possessions.

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Over the course of several vacations to the Seychelles, the Seaths witnessed the gradual deterioration of the reefs as they snorkeled around the coastline.

Every time we visited, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse, said Barry. All the tourists say the same thing. They love the beaches, but are really disappointed with the coral. They expect these lush coral reefs, but what they actually find is lots of coral rubble.

After more than 15 years running a London recruitment firm, Barry felt it was time to make a change and show his daughters an alternative way of eco-friendly living.

Barry then teamed up with experts at the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles in order to develop the facility. Building the farm is scheduled to take just three months with all the equipment, including tanks, chillers, filters, and pipework, costing 25,000.

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Once complete, it will be the first large-scale, land-based coral farm in the Indian Ocean. The eco-warriors hope to use the facility to grow around 10,000 corals per year.

Once planted across local reefs, their diverse range of coral species is expected to maintain the biodiversity of the reefs and replenish the estimated 250,000 individual corals that have already been lost in the seas and reefs in the Seychelles archipelago.

Its not going to change things overnight and will take a lot of work, but as we scale up operations, we expect to have a major and positive impact on the coral reefs in the area, said Barry.

In order to produce the coral at scale, the team plans to harness the latest techniques in micro-fragmentationa recently-discovered coral farming technique which can dramatically increase growth rates far beyond what occurs in the wild.

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Much like how skin cells grow over a cut, the process involves cutting an individual coral into small pieces to stimulate its growth rate. Ordinarily, it takes coral reefs between 25 to 75 years to reach sexual maturity. This means that it can take up to 6 years just to plant 600 coralbut micro-fragmenting helps them to grow 40 times faster than they do in the wild.

The corals can then be grown in temperature-controlled tanks for up to nine months before they are replanted on the local reefs. Whilst in the tanks, the corals will also be exposed to warmer temperatures, enabling them to adapt at a young age to the ever-increasing sea temperatures they will face when returned to their natural habitat.

The Seaths are already talking to UK university researchers about using their tanks to carry out groundbreaking research on new coral farming techniques. And, the Seaths project could provide a rare chance for scientists to develop their laboratory research on a larger scale while also providing educational tours to local schoolchildren and tourists.

The farm will be located on Moyenne Island, a tiny property located just off the coast of Mah, the Seychelles largest island.

Moyenne was designated the worlds smallest National Park in 2012 after its only inhabitant, British expat and former newspaper editor Brendon Grimshaw, passed away.

Grimshaw lived there for four decades after he bought the island for just 8,000 in 1962. Over the course of his life on the island, the conservationist planted thousands of trees and introduced giant tortoises which still roam the area to this day.

The island has an amazing history. There are stories of hotel groups and rich individuals wanting to buy the island from Brendon, says Barry. They told him he could just name his price, but he refused every time. He didnt want it to be developed.

WATCH: Couple Buys Up Acres Around Indian Tiger Reserve For Reforesting So Big Cats Can Roam

We hope to honor Brendons legacy by using the island as the venue of our first coral farm.

Since the novel coronavirus outbreaks have also devastated the Seychelles tourism-dependent economy, the family hopes that replenishing the coral reefs will help bring more visitors back to the East African nation in the future. Additionally, the team hopes the farms success will help to launch more coral farms around the world.

Barry said: Our long-term goal is to show everyone thatwith just a relatively small investmentyou can make a serious impact on the marine environment that will in turn boost the tourism industry. It should be a no-brainer.

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The Seaths plan to divide the project responsibilities amongst themselves with Karolina coordinating social media for the project, while parenting their daughters. Meanwhile, Barry will work as a full-time volunteer on the farm as his daughters, 11-year-old Georgina and 7-year-old Josephine, take on the role of youth ambassadors alongside their studies at a new school on Mah island, which is just a 15-minute boat trip from Moyenne.

The sisters are eager to start their new adventure, with Josephine saying, Ill miss my friends, but Im really looking forward to seeing lots of different animals and doing lots of snorkeling and helping my dad look after the coral.

Georgina wants to learn to dive so she can help with the project, adding: Im really excited to have this opportunity to move abroad and learn more about the world. I hope we can make a real difference.

The family is hoping that international flights will return to normal as coronavirus lockdowns are eased ahead of their planned departure in late August. Until then, they are busy establishing a nonprofit charity called Coral Reef Conservation UKand they are already collecting donations from individuals and corporations.

The worlds only other land-based coral farm, which sits on The Great Barrier Reef, relies on considerable funding from the Australian government. Although there was a similar 1.6 million-facility which was launched in the Bahamas, it was destroyed by a hurricane just weeks after completion.

The Seaths, however, have kept total costs to just 200,000 for the first two years, thanks to a generous offer from the islands current owner.

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The family have enough money to support themselves for that time, but they will still need additional donations to fund the projects operating costs.

Because we are working for free and since the landowner has agreed to pay the building costs, we are able to create this farm at a fraction of the cost you might expect, said Barry. So its a real opportunity to make a massive difference for a pretty small amount of money.

Were very excited at the opportunity to make a positive impact and we hope that people will be able to support us.

If you are interested in contributing to the Seaths labor of love, you can donate to their GoFundMe campaign or visit their website for more information.

(WATCH the Seaths informational video below)

Its Not Hard To Sea That You Should Share This Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media

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Family Sells Their London Home to Move to the Smallest African Country and Save Its Coral Reefs - Good News Network