Former Seychelles Vice President Calls on Population to Join "Cleanliness Marathon"

Former Vice President of the Seychelles and head of the Association of Graduates from Universities of the USSR and Russia, Vincent Meriton, has called on the country's residents to join the environmental project "Cleanliness Marathon," a correspondent for African Initiative reports.

"The environment is our life. The Seychelles are known for their good ecology, which is why all the tourists come here. Let us not litter on our coastlines, along roads, in the Rocky Mountains, and in our districts," Meriton said during the opening of the event.

He noted that the government spends millions of Seychellois rupees on maintaining cleanliness in the country through the Seychelles Land Waste Management Agency (LWMA), one of the co-organizers of the Cleanliness Marathon. He also called for these funds to be used as efficiently as possible.

"I am glad that today's participants [of the environmental project], the youth of the Seychelles, will grow up with these values. Our community must keep the country clean," Meriton concluded.

The former vice president of the Seychelles also asked the press to convey his message to the residents of the islands of Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. He stressed that the Cleanliness Marathon will last until September 20 — World Cleanup Day — and called on all who wish to join the project.

Earlier in April, African Initiative, the Association of Graduates from Universities of the USSR and Russia, Plaisance Secondary School, the waste management company Wastea, LWMA, and the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) launched the Cleanliness Marathon and held a clean-up drive in the Seychelles capital.

Approximately 50 people took part in the first event, including students from Plaisance Secondary School, their parents, and representatives of the graduates' association. In a few hours, they cleaned the marshy area "Marsh Area" in Victoria.