UP CLOSE … with Rajelle Barbé, Community engagement specialist with the Ecosystem Based Adaptation to Climate Change project |15 May 2018

‘Nothing is impossible you just have to believe in yourself, when you fall pick yourself up again’

Passionate about the environment, her great interest and innermost desire to all the time protect the natural beauty that surrounds her, no doubt originate from the fact that she grew up surrounded by nature.

Now aged 35, the mother of a teenage son and a three-year-old daughter, is on the way to fulfilling her dream which is obtaining a degree in environmental science despite holding a full time job. She is following the course on a part time basis. 

In February this year she was the lucky first year University of Seychelles (UniSey) BSc Environment Science student to be awarded scholarship support from the Colleen Morel Fund.

Catching up with her a few weeks ago she was eager to share her passion for nature and the work she is doing to protect the environment, how she manages her time, her family life and her desire to succeed in her studies and achieve her goal in life.

She is Rajelle Barbé and is currently employed with the UNDP as a community engagement specialist with the Ecosystem Based Adaptation to Climate Change project. 

Passionate about her job

“My day to day job is to create awareness of what the project is all about and work with the community at project sites to engage them in taking ownership of their watersheds. On each project site a watershed committee is created and they are given skills and training that will empower them to become guardians of their natural resources,” Ms Barbé explains.

“I am very passionate about my job, I love to teach and share knowledge and experience and I love the environment, I love working with people. My job provides me with the opportunity to do all that. I am constantly on the field doing activities such as tree planting, cleaning with members of the community, very often I get to welcome kids on the sites as well. Though very tiring it is a rewarding job,” she admits.

Ms Barbé says she is an ambitious person who sets her goals clearly and works hard to achieve them.

“I am not the kind of person who is satisfied just being there, I want to make a difference,” she affirms.

But how does it feel to be able to give your precious time studying in order to be better equipped to protect the environment?

“It means a lot to be able to get this opportunity. I am doing my part to protect the environment, but I can still do more and encourage others to do so as well and this is what I want to do,” says Ms Barbé.

Growing up and choosing the training that would lead to her dream career

Growing up Ms Barbé still recalls how she was always surrounded by nature. She was either running freely in the forest somewhere or splashing and wading in the sea even if she could not swim then.

“It was the best place for me where I could see myself and feel at peace. Back then I wanted to be a botanist. This feeling never goes away even if I have pursued different things in my life, it always comes back to nature and my love for the environment,” she confides.

She still remembers with great nostalgia her childhood days spent at Pointe Conan in the Anse Etoile district where she attended crèche until primary 2. Then, her family moved to Glacis where she still lives today.

“I completed my primary and part of my secondary education at Glacis school. I then joined the Beau Vallon Secondary School when secondary education was introduced at regional level. I missed the NYS (National Youth Service) as I was among the first group to follow S5 (secondary 5),” she recalls.

Ms Barbé said her spare time at school was spent between sports and the environment.

“I may not look it today but I was very good at sports especially volleyball. I was a member of wildlife clubs, and loved to go hiking. I spent a lot of time on the beach. I collected shells and was among the very few girls to do agriculture,” she recounts.

A hardworking student who always tried her best to produce good results, she wishes she could have done more especially in the final years of school.

“I always enjoyed sports and nature, but I loved to read and write poems. I still do at times and hope that someday I can maybe have the opportunity to present some of my work to the world,” she says thoughtfully.

Ms Barbé enrolled on an environmental health course but did not complete it. In 2004, she enrolled on a four-year diploma in primary education at the then NIE (National Institute of Education) and stayed in education until 2013.

“I did a lot of field work then. In the school where I taught I was both the eco-school representative and wild life club leader. It was always a pleasure to share my love for the environment with kids and being in education provided me with that opportunity for a while,” she affirms.

Leaving teaching was a big decision but she had made up her mind. She proceeded to take a job at the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) where she worked as a lab technician for three years, collecting and analysing water and sewage samples. Still in search of the career of her dream, Ms Barbé moved again and this time to the SBC (Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation).

“I worked as a radio producer for three years and there I used that platform to further advance environmental issues through the programmes I produced entitled ‘Trezor Lanatir’. Now I have a job that enables me to work directly with people and the environment on a daily basis,” Ms Barbé points out.

She admits that perhaps being born on a beautiful island is the reason she is so passionate about the environment and nature.

“Waking up to see beautiful landscapes every day, the amazing fauna and flora of Seychelles, it is impossible not to care and ensure that this beauty and uniqueness is preserved for future generations. I want my grandkids to experience that too,” she says thoughtfully.

The S4S Colleen Morel Fund award

Ms Barbé said the award came as a surprise for her. Colleen Morel was one of the founding members of Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) which seeks to promote sustainable living in Seychelles in collaboration with citizens, the government, other civil society groups, the private sector, and the media. S4S set up the fund to honour the late Colleen Morel who was also passionate about the environment.

“I guess my love for nature is what got me this recognition. It is not a scholarship to pursue my studies but instead a financial aid that will help me during the course. Receiving the award during my first year is just the extra motivation I need to give my very best and succeed,” Ms Barbé notes.

She went on to point out that most people she talks to admit that they would never pursue a degree part time while working, but this only serves to fuel her determination to succeed.

“It is not easy, far from it. It takes a lot of sacrifices and sleepless nights. Having a three-year-old who craves for your attention and a teenage son is a real challenge,” Ms Barbé remarks.

But she expresses heartfelt gratitude for all the support she gets from co-workers, whom she says always know what to say when she is  feeling overwhelmed, her mum who always believes in her and  her partner who understands how hard life is right now and supports her all the way.

“Without these people I would say my chances at succeeding in my studies would be impossible, because of them I will make it,” she affirms.

Family life and leisure time

Ms Barbé describes herself as a very outgoing and approachable person who makes lots of friends easily. But even though she still has some loyal ones from her childhood, she however admits that lately she is finding it difficult to spend quality time with them.

As for the sport she loves so much, it has been a few years since she last set foot on a volleyball court.

“I still love the game but finds it difficult to allocate time for it. Apart from my studies and family I have other personal projects I am working on right now. Time is really an issue and I have to prioritise,” she says regretfully.

Around the house she performs her motherly duties of cleaning and cooking and sometime does some gardening.

“I also love watching TV series when I do get the time. I used to love listening to music but now I rarely do. Apart from watching TV, I prefer peace and quiet. I used to love parties but not anymore. Since I had my daughter I rarely go out. Now my best time is spent at home with my children or watching a TV series. Maybe I am getting old, but I am not into parties anymore,” she says laughing.

Looking around and taking note of the social situation in our country, Ms Barbé remarks that the structure of our families is changing drastically and has been for a long time.

“I grew up without a father and my mum was the best dad and mum I could ever ask for. Did I miss having a father? I do not know. I just do not remember him ever in my life. So I grew up in a single parent family. That did not break me instead it turned me into a strong and independent woman and I am proud of that. I think marriage is getting rarer because few people are taking this life commitment seriously enough.

“It takes two serious, committed, loving individuals to make a marriage last through thick and thin and both parties have to remain committed throughout. I feel that social ills are affecting and tearing apart the fabrics of families and society and if nothing is done then things can only get worse. In most cases it’s the children who are affected the most and that’s really sad,” Ms Barbé laments.

“My plan is to be able to provide a safe and happy home for my kids, complete my studies successfully and pursue a career in environment but working with people, community engagement in environment is what I would love to see more in Seychelles,” she says.

“My advice to young woman is that nothing is impossible. You just have to believe in yourself, follow your heart, take that first step, be ambitious, when you fall rise again and be the best version of yourself. Age should not be a determining factor preventing you from pursuing your goals. Maturity and experience come with age and that will help you succeed. If you missed an opportunity when you were younger, or in school, and the opportunity presents itself again, grab it,” concludes Mr Barbé.