Afaa
Our ocean home
“We are all children of the ocean,” says Afaa, who grew up on the beautiful tropical islands of the Maldives, in the Indian ocean.
But even paradise has its problems. Afaa started to notice that the huge amount of plastic washing up on the beaches she calls home.
Afaa started taking action in 2015. She and 6 friends decided to do something about the problems they were seeing. She organised one beach cleaning event after another, cleaning her island further every time
The ocean’s problems are not just plastic
The group then started to involve the community, making them also aware of the issues of rubbish, plastics and other waste that was getting into the islands’ natural habitats and ocean.
In 2018 the problems became bigger than just rubbish. A beautiful mangrove forest was filled with sand and rubble for the construction of a new airport.
Once thriving with life, the mangrove forest is now devoid of life. And today, the airport cannot even be used as the ground is too unstable for planes to land on.
Small every day actions can change the ocean
‘It’s the youth that will be affected. We are the present, we must cause the change,’ Afaa tells us.
Afaa’s community clean ups and mobilisation have helped make local people understand the importance of local issues and take action.
She still runs her local action group and wants people in every country to take action and help protect the oceans we all love and share.
Afaa started her movement doing what she could to make a difference. She has raised awareness in her community, her country and around the world. She didn’t wait to be told to do something; she took action for herself.
Take a look at small actions you can take today
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