More than 3,000 students across Noonu Atoll have participated in sports festivals organised by Velaa Private Island this year, extending the luxury resort’s long-running community engagement programme to promote active lifestyles, teamwork and youth wellbeing across local communities.
The festivals were held from 26 August to 10 September across all 13 inhabited islands of Noonu Atoll, reaching a total of 3,034 students. The programme began in N. Henbadhoo before travelling across the atoll and concluding in N. Holhudhoo, giving students from communities of different sizes an opportunity to participate in organised sporting and recreational activities.
Rather than focusing solely on competition, the activities were designed to encourage young people to enjoy physical movement, cooperate with their peers and experience sport as an inclusive and positive part of everyday life. The programme placed particular emphasis on participation, teamwork and building enthusiasm for healthier and more active lifestyles among schoolchildren.
As part of the initiative, every participating student received a reusable water bottle and tote bag. Velaa Private Island said the items were distributed in response to requests received from local communities, reflecting the resort’s approach of developing its community programmes around practical needs identified by residents and institutions across Noonu Atoll.
The sports festivals were organised under Velaa Private Island’s Fehikuramaa initiative, the resort’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility programme dedicated to supporting communities throughout the atoll. Established in 2021, Fehikuramaa initially concentrated on addressing waste management and environmental challenges affecting the islands surrounding the resort.
Since its introduction, the programme has expanded considerably, covering areas including ocean pollution awareness, recycling, waste segregation, composting and gardening. The initiative has combined awareness activities with practical assistance to help island communities strengthen environmentally responsible practices and improve local waste-management capabilities.
Velaa Private Island has also supplied water dispensers and waste-segregation bins as part of its community support activities. In 2024, the resort donated waste shredders to all 13 inhabited islands of Noonu Atoll, providing communities with additional equipment to support more effective management of waste at island level.
Over the years, Fehikuramaa has developed beyond its original environmental focus to address other areas of community wellbeing, including water safety, nutrition, healthy living and youth engagement. Last year, the programme focused on nutrition and, for the first time, expanded its activities to reach all 13 inhabited islands of the atoll.
This year’s focus on sports represents a continuation of that broader approach, bringing thousands of students together through activities aimed at encouraging healthy habits from an early age. The scale of participation also demonstrates the programme’s growing reach across Noonu Atoll, where the resort has maintained close engagement with island communities over several years.
Velaa Private Island General Manager Mohamed Mausoom said the programme has evolved over six years through the resort’s engagement with communities across the atoll. The development of Fehikuramaa reflects an increasing focus within the Maldivian tourism industry on extending the benefits of tourism beyond resort boundaries and supporting the social and environmental development of neighbouring island communities.
Located in Noonu Atoll, Velaa Private Island is among the Maldives’ internationally recognised luxury island resorts. Alongside delivering high-end hospitality experiences to visitors from around the world, the resort has continued to strengthen its relationship with surrounding communities through programmes addressing environmental sustainability, education, health, youth development and community wellbeing.
The initiative also demonstrates how the tourism sector can complement broader national efforts to promote healthier communities, stronger youth participation and sustainable development. Cooperation between resorts, local communities and public institutions continues to provide opportunities for tourism investment and expertise to contribute to development beyond the hospitality sector itself.
Velaa Private Island said future Fehikuramaa activities will continue to be shaped by the needs of communities across Noonu Atoll, with education, wellbeing and sustainability remaining among the areas of focus. Through the continued expansion of the initiative, the resort aims to maintain a long-term relationship with neighbouring islands while supporting programmes that deliver practical benefits for children, families and communities throughout the atoll.
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