Time for some vitamin sea! SHEBA® is on the search for a Hope Ambassador to play a vital role in coral reef restoration in the Maldives

A nation-wide search has begun for the SHEBA® Hope Ambassador, with the opportunity to visit the Maldives to take part in a new restoration project, which forms part of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programme – Hope Grows
The three-week Ambassador programme in the Maldives and the UK forms part of SHEBA®’s global campaign, ‘Hope Grows’, which unveiled its first coral reef restoration project – Hope Reef - in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2021
Since its construction, the original Hope Reef has seen coral cover increase from 2% to 70%, the average size of fish increased by 175% and there has been a 10% rise in the number of fish species present at the reef

UK (Wednesday 8th June 2022) - Leading cat-food brand SHEBA® has today announced a unique opportunity to become the SHEBA® Hope Ambassador, participating in the world’s largest global coral reef restoration programme, located at its new restoration site in the Maldives on the island of Fulhadhoo.

Applicants do not need any formal experience, but having a passion for the environment, strong swimming ability and a knack for storytelling are a must. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will see one lucky UK applicant partnered with a Maldivian Hope Ambassador to join the HOPE GROWS movement and experience the journey of coral restoration first-hand.

If you are the lucky candidate that secures the opportunity to become the SHEBA® Hope Ambassador, the three-week role will see you split time between the UK and the Maldives. You will have a week of training in Leicestershire, UK, with the Mars Petcare and coral restoration team, before flying out to Fulhadhoo for a week where you’ll participate in active coral reef restoration. Your role will involve you joining local community members on the island, including partnering with a Maldivian Hope Ambassador, preparing and planting reef stars – all while keeping everyone updated with regular blog posts on the SHEBA® website and capturing content, stories and interviews about life and the community on the island.

The Ambassador programme forms part of SHEBA’s® global campaign called ‘Hope Grows’, created to restore the beauty in our oceans. In 2021, SHEBA® unveiled its first project located off the southwestern part of Indonesian island of Sulawesi, with satellite images revealing a beacon of hope visible from space – the 14m by 46m spelling of the letters H-O-P-E using regrown coral - at Hope Reef. This poignant message acted as a symbol to the world of how positive change below water can happen within our lifetime – inspiring people to take action and protect our oceans.

The SHEBA® Hope Reef coral reef restoration project plans to restore coral reefs, measuring more than 185,000 square meters—roughly the size of 148 Olympic swimming pools—at key sites around the world by 2029. SHEBA’s® new work in the Maldives and its search for its Hope Ambassador is a continuation of the successful coral restoration efforts seen in Indonesia and signals the next phase of the world’s largest coral restoration programme.

Sam West, Global Brand Manager, SHEBA® said: “We are thrilled to be searching for our very own SHEBA® Hope Ambassador. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to become part of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programme and we encourage anyone with a passion for ocean conservation and storytelling to apply. We hope that our SHEBA® Hope Ambassador helps inspire others to consider how they can also protect and restore critically threatened ecosystems.”

This is critical work, as climate change, overexploitation, destructive fishing practices and marine pollution have impacted ocean health significantly. SHEBA® has seen the success of coral restoration efforts and its innovative ‘Reef Star’ technology [1] at Hope Reef in Indonesia. Since its construction, coral cover has increased from 2% to 70%, the average size of fish on Hope Reef has increased by 175% and there has been a 10% rise in the number of fish species – a strong success story for future and current project plans.

Professor David Smith, Chief Marine Scientist at Mars, Inc., said: “Scientists have estimated that if we do nothing, 90% of the world’s tropical reefs will be gone by 2043—a devastating prospect not just for the reefs’ ecosystems, but for the nearly 500 million people who depend on the reefs for food, income, and coastal protection [2].

We know that coral reefs are the heart of our oceans and the continued work on Hope Reef shows that there really is hope. Our efforts around the world to restore and regenerate these precious ecosystems are showing exciting results and having a positive impact on local communities. We hope to inspire others with the help of a SHEBA® Hope Ambassador.”

Aya Mariyam Rahil Naseem, Co-Founder and Vice Chairperson of the Maldives Coral Institute said: “The ocean makes up 99% of my home, the Maldives, and coral reefs are the very heart of our oceans. Coral provides the very foundations for Maldivian society, which is why we’re proud to be part of the Hope Grows movement working to restore these vital ecosystems. It’s more important than ever, that we invest in ocean-based solutions and we can’t wait to welcome the SHEBA® Hope Ambassador to our family.”

SHEBA’s® sustainability efforts are being supported by parent company Mars, Inc. who recognises the threat to the world’s coral reefs and is passionate about tackling this head on. SHEBA® hopes to play the role of catalyst, helping to ensure the future has coral reefs and fish.

Applications to be considered for the role as SHEBA® Hope Ambassador close on 30 June. Please see here for the full description and requirements: http://www.shebahopegrows.com/uk/ambassador ~ Ends ~ About SHEBA® The SHEBA® brand knows that cat owners love cats for their independent spirits, personalities, and discerning palates. That’s why the SHEBA® brand puts cats at the heart of everything it does, creating premium recipes with irresistible real meat, no artificial preservatives or flavors, and designed to entice cats’ unique tastes and desires. The SHEBA® Brand appreciates the relationship between cats and their owners and uses that understanding to celebrate and fuel their unique bond. Look for SHEBA® premium cat food and cat treats at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.sheba.com.(Opens a new window)

~ Ends ~

About SHEBA®

The SHEBA® brand knows that cat owners love cats for their independent spirits, personalities, and discerning palates. That’s why the SHEBA® brand puts cats at the heart of everything it does, creating premium recipes with irresistible real meat, no artificial preservatives or flavors, and designed to entice cats’ unique tastes and desires. The SHEBA® Brand appreciates the relationship between cats and their owners and uses that understanding to celebrate and fuel their unique bond. Look for SHEBA® premium cat food and cat treats at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.sheba.com(Opens a new window).

About Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare is part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. Our almost 100,000 Associates across 130 countries are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets – including brands PEDIGREE(Opens a new window)®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN(Opens a new window)®, SHEBA(Opens a new window)®, CESAR(Opens a new window)®, GREENIES(Opens a new window)™, IAMS(Opens a new window)™ and EUKANUBA(Opens a new window)™ as well as the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute(Opens a new window) which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of more than 2,500 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including AniCura(Opens a new window), Antech(Opens a new window), Asia Veterinary Diagnostics(Opens a new window) BANFIELD(Opens a new window), BLUEPEARL(Opens a new window), Linnaeus(Opens a new window), Mount Pleasant(Opens a new window), VCA(Opens a new window), VES(Opens a new window), and VSH(Opens a new window). We're also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL(Opens a new window)™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE(Opens a new window)™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO(Opens a new window) accelerator and COMPANION FUND(Opens a new window)™ programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are building a thriving and inclusive workforce reflective of the many pets and communities we serve, privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in. And we choose to fight for our Purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

About Mars, Incorporated

For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.

Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ more than 130,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. For more information about Mars, please visit mars.com.

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[1] 90cm-wide, star-shaped, steel structures that are handmade by the local community in Indonesia. Each star is joined underwater to create a strong web that covers the seabed and provides a stable base for coral fragments to regrow.

[2]Ecosystems services at risk(Opens a new window), Nature Climate Change, 2022