“I am more aware of people that don’t appreciate what they have"

Sunday 01 September 2019

A local beach cleaner and keen conservationist has explained how a Massai warrior's comments about shoes transformed her outlook on life.

Allison Caldeira says that experience, as well as her many visits to schools, farms and villages, taught her to appreciate what she has.

She was able to make the "life-changing" trip with a team of fellow RBC employees after becoming the first Channel Islander to receive her company’s Global Citizenship Award, which recognises those who “selflessly donate their time, energy and resources to drive positive change in their communities.”

Allison has been heavily involved in environmental initiatives and conservation work in the island. She even enrolled her colleagues by starting up beach cleans and encouraging more planting. With her partner, she also organises bird and nature walks during the evenings and at weekends.

Pictured: Allison gets her love of all things nature from her mother, a gardener.

Her passion for the environment and all things naturals goes back to an early age. As a small child, Allison would go out and about with her mother, a gardener who taught her about the wildlife around. “I kept the appreciation all my life,” Allison said, adding that after joining one group, she quickly joined others through the conservation community.

When one of her managers heard of the Global Citizenship Award, they suggested Allison “go for it.” However, she found it hard to write about her volunteer work and explain why she should be selected for the award. “I showed it to my manager and they said I needed a really good piece. Unknown to me, they had written one with really positive comments. It was nice to have that encouragement.”

“I was lucky to be recognised for the work, for something I love doing,” Allison said. “I do not see it as a chore it’s just what I do.”

Pictured: Allison travelled to Kenya with a team of RBC employees after becoming the first Channel Islander to receive her company’s Global Citizenship Award. 

As a result of winning the award, Allison travelled to Kenya taking part in various community projects including building a dormitory for a girl’s school in partnership with international development organisation ‘Me to We.’

During her trip, Allison got to meet Massai warriors, which she described as an "emotional" experience. “[One] was showing me some birds and I told him they had been in Jersey earlier. I told him, 'They have flown from my home to your home.'"

Allison described the rest of her trip as a ‘whirlwind of visits’, including schools, farms and villages where her company has been helping bring clean water. 

Pictured: Allison was excited to meet the knowledgeable Massai warriors.

All in all, Allison described the trip as “life-changing.”

“I am more aware of people that don’t appreciate what they have,” she explained. “All the people we met were smiling and wanting to share, they invited us into their homes.

“One of the warriors said to me, ‘I have got two pairs of shoes, I only really need one.’ Then he asked, ‘Why do you need so many? Why do you need so much?’ I have been significantly decluttering since the trip.”

Pictured: Allison describes her Kenyan trip as "life-changing."

The trip, which Allison feels incredibly lucky to have taken part in, also convinced her to take her conservation efforts abroad. “I will be going back to Kenya next year to do conservation work, in another location. There is also Sri Lanka or India.

“I was so lucky to be there, just to share with people. It’s given me the confidence to go out and do something else to make a difference.”