Young Angolan winner of the “Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development” in 2015 is a finalist in the UN “Young Champions of the Earth” Award

Oil production engineer Fernanda Renee Samuel, who works in environmental protection, is one of 35 global finalists competing for Young Earth Champions – the UN’s top environmental award for young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 30 and innovative ideas to protect or restore the environmente.

The 35 young people were selected from more than 845 registered for their visionary and concrete initiatives to face today’s most challenging environmental crises.

When she finished her degree, the 28-year-old Angolan won the Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development in 2015. In the delivery of the Odebrecht award, Fernanda met the then Minister of the Environment, who invited her to join her ministry.

From Fernanda Renee Samuel’s journey, the UN highlights her work with the Otchiva project, which she created to protect the mangroves on the Angolan coast. At the moment, the project has 1,300 volunteers who work in the provinces of Luanda, Benguela and Zaire, but intend to extend to provinces such as Kwanza Sul and Cabinda.

Among the finalists, the global jury will choose seven winners, one from each region of the world and two from Asia-Pacific, which will be announced in December. Last year the winner of the regional Africa was also Angola, Adjany Costa, current Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment of Angola.