Marretje Adriaanse, MSc
Marretje is born and raised in the Netherlands. Passionate about nature, she decided to study Biology and obtained her bachelor’s degree at the University of Utrecht. Her master’s degree is in Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management from Wageningen University and Research. For her thesis, she studied sponge aquaculture in Turkey.
After graduation, Marretje returned to Africa to work for REEFolution, a coral restoration project based in Kenya. As a project coordinator Marretje helped with setting up the new coral propagation project and the internship program. Furthermore, Marretje was active with implementing project research proposals, the training of interns and staff, and assisted with fund-raising and grant proposal writing. Unfortunately Marretje has returned to the Netherlands. We wish her all the best with her endeavors and hope to see her again on Mafia!
Jacqueline Lobera Fernández
Founding member & Associate Researcher
I loved the ocean beforehand, but once I had the chance to get deeper into its theory, I couldn’t help but decide to dedicate my future to its conservation.
Jacqueline has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Sciences and was at her time with us, doing her Master’s in Marine Biology. Her studies have helped her gain expertise in scientific writing, computer and lab skills, and the ability to think long-term and outside the box. She is well on her way to becoming the professional marine biologist she wants to be. We were happy to help her along during her experience here, saving some corals with The Ropes of Hope! She has been an amazing help above water (social media, planning experiments) and underwater (building nurseries, doing research). She is off to great things and we were happy we were one step on her way!
Maya
Maya’s role was to create underwater content in the form of; documentaries about the project, crowdfunding video production, assist in social media (photography, reels, stories), manage the Youtube channel and assist with the building of the official website.
“Being the youngest member of the team, interacting with and learning from these highly skilled and interesting individuals from over 5 different nationalities helped me gain exposure, understand how this field works and make lifelong friends!
I am a second year undergraduate student studying Marine Science at James Cook University in Australia. Due to COVID-19 I had to take break from my studies so, I decided to start being a more serious filmmaker. In 2019 I took an Underwater Videography course in Mozambique and acquired the BSAC Professional Underwater Videography Certification.
Putting my skills of Underwater Filmmaking, editing using Adobe Creative Could, Social Media communication and marketing experience along with my interest in Marine biology and conservation made this an incredibly rewarding experience.
Emil Karath
Videographer & Founding Member
I’m a biologist-ecologist and award winning videographer. I’ve been scuba diving for 4 decades. If I stay on land, I feel like a fish without water. However, I make any kind of films, but I prefer the underwater ones. That is my labor of love
Emile joined us to film The Ropes of Hope coming to life and made several videos showing our process and the building of the first nursery. We are extremely grateful for everything he has done for us and we hope to see him again one day!
Michael Elisha
I am Michael Elisha. I’m 28 years old, a Tanzanian by origin. Academically, I hold a Bachelor’s degree holder in Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries, obtained at the University of Dar es Salaam. I have been working as a volunteer at Dar es Salaam Marine Reserves System, in the field of benthic monitoring, Mangroves restoration, and Community involvement in the management of marine natural resources.