[Project Update] Mauritius Oil Spill Accident: Community Support Project in Full Swing (Part 1)
In August 2020, a bulk vessel owned and operated by a Japanese company went aground off Mauritius, causing an environmental crisis to the coastal communities. Immediately after the accident, Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV) contacted local NGOs in Mauritius to support their initiatives to restore the environment and help the affected communities.
A Mauritius-based NGO, Environmental Protection and Conservation Organization (EPCO), partnered with PBV, to implement a year-long project to support the 17 villages along the coast. The accident posed an additional challenge to the communities where people were already facing significant income loss due to a drastic decline in tourism caused by the pandemic.
The PBV has been closely communicating with EPCO since the accident, and supporting their project which offers alternative livelihoods to the communities. Considering the local needs and conditions, the project selected several livelihood options which can be implemented in limited space with locally available materials. These include space-saving agriculture, apiculture and mud-crab farming (watch this video for more details on the project outline). After months of strict lockdown and restrictions on social gathering, the EPCO team managed to carry out the project in full swing in October 2021. They visited the villages and showcased ideas and tools that can help the communities to diversify their sources of income. The goal is to support them to not only overcome the current financial crisis but also provide sustainable livelihood options for the future.
By early November, the EPCO members visited eight villages to provide guidance on alternative livelihood methods, and gathered details from the villagers on the equipment they would like to use. There was excellent participation by the villagers for each session and they showed great interest in joining the projects.