Raia Mustafa | Soneva Fushi
Sustainability has gone from an exception to an expectation with many of us now looking for solutions on how we can manage our own impact on the planet whilst seeking guidance from organisations and people who are doing this well.
Raia is certainly someone who dedicates herself to driving sustainability in Baa Atoll as Soneva Fushi’s Community Engagement Manager.
Over the last few years we have worked with Raia who has a shared vision for conservation and hopes to inspire more action globally.
The relationship people have with the environment is certainly something that can and should change to catalyse more positive sustainable changes. If you do not interact with your surroundings with an understanding and an appreciation for it, you will not necessarily work to protect it. Instead of a passive coexistence with nature, understanding your relationship with the immediate environment and then at large, will allow one to make a meaningful positive impact in protecting the environment however they choose.
Raia is a leading force in the Namoona Baa Initiative, a rather wholesome project launched in January 2019 by the island councils of Maalhos, Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo in partnership with Soneva and Common Seas, as a collective response to Maldives’ growing waste and plastics crisis.
“My position requires communicating with schools and other stakeholders throughout Baa Atoll. Presently we are in conversation with ministries and other government institutions based in Male’ as well, so it does go beyond the atoll but in this regard, the majority of my interactions for this role take place with those based outside of it.”
Rai has been working at the resort for a year now, and while her typical day starts off with the morning briefing, followed by desk work, planning and strategising for community initiatives, she says, “every day is very different.''
“Some days I spend a lot of time in meetings with team members to plan and strategise the exciting work we do with local communities, other days I am visiting those neighbouring islands for activities or meetings and some days are just the standard day in the office. After work I like to wind down and read a book, watch a movie or spend some quality time with friends.”
When asked who inspired her, Raia replied “ the incredible beautiful women in my friend circles who exude creativity and passion. They are kind and giving. It inspires me to be the same and share that with others both professionally and personally.”
After starting out working in education, Raia is a great example of a transition in career that allows you to get paid to do what you truly love.
“Joining the tourism industry, especially working at a resort island was something that I had never imagined myself doing. At the end of 2018 I decided to join the Waste to Wealth team at Soneva. I was in a male dominant team in a field I was interested in but had no previous experience in. It has been a wonderful experience and certainly a challenging one to join a new industry, a new field (waste and sustainability) and a new environment (living and working at a resort island). Now, as Community Engagement Manager, I work with amazing colleagues to share what I have learnt in my previous role with other communities. Now it is a new challenge but an exciting one I look forward to in my work.”
Raia is certainly an inspiration to many, constantly encouraging people she meets to push away from their comfort zones and tune into their passions. Her work at Soneva has already has such a profound impact on the island communities which has become a beacon, inspiring more collaborative efforts around the world today.
