Having been born and raised on a small island of Maldives’ Laamu Atoll, Malsa Naeem spent most of her life growing up next to the beach and the ocean.
Her grandmother’s stories of the great unknown ocean piqued Malsa’s curiosity about the creatures that lived beneath the surface of its waves. Her interest in wildlife grew in school where she was taught about their life history and how some of the animals she saw every day came to be. This led her to pursue a Science Major all through middle school and higher education.
Malsa has been an active person in the community, keen to lend a helping hand and join any volunteer work she can get involved in. She has previous experience working as a Technician at a sea cucumber farm in Laamu Atoll, and has also worked in the journalism sector.
Malsa first learned about ORP in 2021, and had since harboured an interest in getting involved with our work to raise community awareness for sea turtle protection. She believes it is for everyone’s benefit to preserve the balance in our marine ecosystems.
Malsa joined ORP in February 2024 as the Assistant Sea Turtle Ranger & Community Officer for Laamu Atoll. In this role, she supports ORP’s Sea Turtle Ranger in monitoring nesting and illegal harvesting on L. Gaadhoo’s main sea turtle nesting beach – Velaa Heylhi. Additionally, she helps organise presentations and awareness sessions for the schools of L. Gan and L. Fonadhoo.
