The MOL Charitable Trust, set up in June 2021 in Mauritius by Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL), is launching its first call for projects for locally based NGOs. This exercise, which will last from 7 to 27 September, will allow the Trust to select the most relevant social and environmental projects, as well as those that will best fit the Trust’s mission mainly in the South East region of Mauritius. The event took place in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador to Mauritius, Shuichiro Kawaguchi, the Vice President of Mauritius, Eddy Boissezon, the Honourable Stephan Toussaint, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation and the UN Resident Coordinator, Christine Umutoni at the Karay Mario restaurant in Mahebourg.
“Since the launch of the Trust, we wanted to establish a fair and more appropriate selection method for the projects we will fund in the future. As we intend to help in the long term, we feel that this call for projects is the fairest way to proceed and to continue our work on the ground with local actors,” says Goro Yamashita, Chairman of the MOL Charitable Trust’s Enforcers Committee.
The Trust has a fund of 300 million yen, released by the MOL group, to accomplish its mission on Mauritian soil. This mission should last about 6 years, and the criteria for the evaluation of projects have been defined by the Enforcers Committee.
Only NGOs registered in Mauritius are eligible. The main objectives of the Trust are
- Conservation and development of mangrove forests
- Conservation and development of coral reefs
- Conservation of wild, migratory and rare birds
- Preservation and restoration of cultural sites
- Economic development of the fisheries and tourism industry
- Promotion of ecology, ecotourism and environmental preservation
- Supporting local communities through social actions and youth education
- Research and development of renewable energy solutions
- Humanitarian aid following natural and other disasters
- Development of infrastructure to achieve the above objectives
The Trust is managed by 7 Enforcers, of which 4 are Local Enforcers based in Mauritius. These Local Enforcers are Goro Yamashita, Chairman of the Enforcers Committee and Managing Director of MOL (Mauritius) Ltd, Marc Dalais, Executive Chairman of Celero Ltd, Darmen Ellayah, an environmental risk management specialist and social worker, and Dr Jimmy Harmon, an independent researcher in History, Heritage Languages and Identity Building.
The MOL Charitable Trust, set up in June 2021 in Mauritius by the Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd (MOL), is launching its first call for projects for locally based NGOs. This exercise, which will last from 7 to 27 September, will allow the Trust to select the most relevant social and environmental projects, as well as those that will best fit the Trust’s mission mainly in the South East region of Mauritius. The event took place in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador to Mauritius, Shuichiro Kawaguchi, the Vice President of Mauritius, Eddy Boissezon, the Honourable Stephan Toussa.
