Celebrating a successful year-end milestone in reshaping wellness at sea for cadets in Africa
Sailors’ Society and ITF Seafarers’ Trust are celebrating the successful completion of their year-long transformative partnership in Africa.
Together, they have equipped more than 1,000 cadets and marine engineering students through leading maritime institutions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Liberia, Kenya and South Africa with the tools they need to thrive at sea.
The bespoke initiative, based on the Society’s acclaimed and established Wellness at Sea programme, helps the next generation of African maritime prepare for their future careers by focusing on mental health, resilience, relationships, conflict management, piracy awareness and overall wellbeing.
Sara Baade, CEO of Sailors’ Society, said: “With Africa’s maritime expansion, it is even more important that the continent’s cadets have access to this addition to their curriculum. They are the future lifeblood of our industry and by investing in their wellbeing before they ever step on board, we are helping build safer, stronger and more resilient crews for years to come.
“We are incredibly grateful to ITF Seafarers’ Trust for their shared commitment to supporting us in this.”
Independent survey responses from the cadets who have taken part in the training reveal this is making an immediate and measurable difference, with 81 per cent saying the training gave new insight into the realities of life at sea and 100 per cent saying the training would help them better handle situations on board.
One cadet said: “Every student in maritime must go through this Wellness at Sea; it is very helpful.”
Another said: “We have learnt all the different kinds of wellness important on board. Not only physical wellness, but mental, social and intellectual as well.”
Some 98 per cent of attendees said they were now confident they could apply mental health lessons on board their vessel, and 97 per cent said they felt confident they could apply the learning around managing conflict at sea.
Participating colleges and academies have also praised the training. Michael David Morgan, Commandant, Liberia Maritime Training Institute, said: “The online Wellness at Sea trainers were excellent and provided very important information and insight from the maritime industry to our cadets.”
Dr Jethro W Brooks Jr., Vice Chancellor, Regional Maritime University Ghana, added: “We commend the professionalism and commitment demonstrated throughout the training sessions. We are confident that the impact of this will resonate positively within our academic community.”
Abdulgani Serang, Programme Development Manager at ITF Seafarers’ Trust, said: “We are proud to support this pioneering initiative, which gives cadets practical tools to navigate both the opportunities and challenges of a life at sea. Supporting wellbeing early in a seafarer’s journey creates lasting benefits for individuals, ships and the wider maritime sector.”
The programme forms part of Sailors’ Society’s wider Circle of Care, combining practical training throughout a seafarer’s career with ongoing support, including a 24/7 helpline, peer-to-peer groups, e-learning resources and access to welfare specialists.
