VICTORIA, Seychelles — Rosie Morel, a retired nurse with more than 35 years of voluntary service, has been named Best Volunteer 2024 at the Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles (Ceps) fourth Volunteers Award ceremony at the Eden Bleu Hotel. Mrs Morel, who was born on September 4, 1954, and is the eldest of six siblings, also takes on the role of Ceps civil society ambassador for 2025.
Mrs Morel has been a member of the Cancer Concern Association for the past 20 years and now sits on its executive committee, where she provides counselling, health education on cancer prevention, and visits cancer patients at the hospice. Her other commitments have included the Red Cross Society of Seychelles, Special Olympics Seychelles, autism and Alzheimer support groups, the anti-drugs committee, and ‘Paster Lannwit’, through which she has honed her communication and leadership skills.
In her acceptance remarks, Mrs Morel said the recognition had come as a surprise and a morale boost. “As a human being, it is good to get a little pat on your back every now and then and know you have done well,” she said, adding that she would continue to volunteer as long as her health permits. She also used the moment to call for greater recognition of volunteers, praising the impact Ceps has had over the past decade in reinvigorating civic engagement.
Mrs Morel is married and has three children, and her message to the wider public is that volunteering shapes both the individual and the community. “Volunteerism has changed my perspective and vision of the society,” she said. “I saw the need to help out more in the society. It has helped immensely with my personal growth.”
