Top American model donates to Foyer de Nazareth |17 April 2021
The handover of the donation (Photo: Joena Meme)
The children of Foyer de Nazareth have received a donation of stationery and other school items from Alma Artiaga, an American international model who has been living on and off in Seychelles for the past twelve years, namely at Eden island.
The donation comprises bags, shoes, sandals, clothes, coloured crayons and pencils, pencils, exercise books and some toys, including coloured exercise books for the smaller boys and mathematical sets for the bigger boys.
It was the sister in charge of the home, Marie Jeannine, who accepted the gifts on behalf of the children.
“I always wanted to put a smile on faces of less fortunate people, especially the children. I really enjoy seeing them smile and I feel blessed to have met up with them,” said Ms Artiaga, who doesn’t have children of her own.
She added that her parents separated at a young age and she understands the feelings felt by children who are living without their parents.
Ms Artiaga stated that she will seek to raise money to help the children at the home especially in regards to their education so that they will get a better future, in terms of careers, work and own living space among other social attributes, when they leave the orphanage.
“My idea is to have a website where each child in all three homes can be funded, as a whole or individually. Their sponsors will in the open or in confidentiality, be able to donate money with no strings attached and where also they will get to know where their money is being channeled or they can use the website to say hi or talk to the children,” Ms Artiaga said, noting that she will also be working with the other children’s homes in the country.
“Apart from the families that some children might have but they are not living with, I wanted them to know that they have friends who care for them, especially in this time of the pandemic where they are having less visits,” she added.
Sister Jeannine thanked Ms Artiaga for her generous donation and said, “We very much appreciate your generous gesture and your attachment to the children. We take note that there are people out there who are going all their way to help the less fortunate, especially during this time of the economic crisis”.
Ms Artiaga, who said that she is also involved in marine conservation and promoting Seychelles’ environment in collaboration with the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), through her ambassadorial role with Pristine Seychelles, said she fell in love with the boys at the orphanage upon meeting up with them on the small beach at the Sail Training Scheme, Roche Caiman, when she was taking part in a fund-raising activity for Beauty Empowerment Seychelles.
She also claimed that while in the country, she has been doing a lot of modelling for big local clients such as Eden Blue, Mason’s Travel, Denis Island Hotel, Bay View, Jouel, Today in Seychelles including STB among others.
Ms Artiaga thanked her partner Curis Clerk, a British national who also visits Seychelles frequently, for partnering with her for the donation. She also thanked Stephanie Duval, the chairman of Beauty Empowerment Seychelles for helping and guiding her to make the donation and for establishing a relationship with Foyer de Nazareth.
Apart from giving out the gifts, Ms Artiaga also sought for the restoration of hot water at the orphanage. The orphanage has at the moment fourteen boys aged 4 to 15 years under the responsibility of three sisters.
Patrick Joubert