Esther Copete – Comoros 2008

Being stuck in a dead end job I decided to take the internship in Comoros to get some work experience and prepare myself for the competitive conservation and development job market. What I didn’t realize at that time was the enormous impact it would have in my personal life: I met wonderful people who taught me about their way of life in the Muslim culture of Comoros. Here I gained project management skills and was involved in the planning, monitoring and managing of the ecotourism project and looked after project teams. My internship inspired my passion for marine conservation and made me aware of the multi-faceted nature of the subject and the many ways to participate in coastal community development. I am now focusing on environmental education for sustainable development in coastal areas. Esther Copete