Supporting the Wildlife Care Madagascar association, the Jacques Martel Foundation has embarked on a multifaceted project aimed at supporting local communities – particularly children. It focuses on key issues: health, training and the promotion of local skills, and is fully in line with the Foundation’s missions: to promote access to healthy and sustainable food for all, and to support the education of young people.

Seven months after its launch, significant progress has already been made: the plots have been prepared, training in gardening has been provided, trial crops have been planted, and a well has been built.

As regards the training aspect, four people have already been trained. This programme, run by a local centre, teaches farming practices that respect biodiversity and the soil. This is a relevant approach to the sustainable conservation of resources and to ensuring a more secure future for generations to come. The trainers emphasised the importance of respecting endemic species during land clearing and also taught the benefits of mulching in a hot climate.

The planning of experimental crops also illustrates this commitment to adapting to the local context. In the middle of the rainy season, the team focused on four vegetable and fodder crops with high water requirements: maize, cassava, lowland rice and bambara beans. All grown using permaculture methods.

From April onwards, tomatoes will be planted. Indeed, the lower temperatures of the dry season provide favourable conditions for the pollination of many vegetable crops.

Summary in pictures

The Jacques Martel Foundation is particularly proud of this project, which has made remarkable progress and which helps to empower local communities and work with them to build sustainable solutions for future generations. The impact is therefore not solely agricultural: it is also social, as it fosters a collective spirit, develops skills, creates seasonal employment and boosts the confidence of those on the ground in their ability to produce, learn and pass on knowledge.

Further initiatives are still underway, which is very encouraging. A wonderful collaboration has been forged.

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This theme resonates particularly strongly with a project that is important to us and which we have chosen to support, alongside the charity Sens Solidaire, which the Jacques Martel Foundation is supporting for the third consecutive year.

This is a Franco-Senegalese project, run between schools in Nice and schools in Casamance, entitled ‘Access to water and food: understanding their vital link’.

This project aims to raise pupils’ awareness of the fundamental role of water in health, hygiene and nutrition. It also offers practical solutions! Finally, it serves as a reminder that access to drinking water remains a major issue of equality, and it is clear that we are not all equal.

The project has several components:

–    Raising awareness of water quality and food safety issues through presentations and educational group activities

–    Creating vegetable gardens,

–    Installing two ‘Nanoaid’ kits for water purification and disinfection (vegetables, soil, hands, surfaces, wounds).

–    Running workshops on water and hygiene,

–    Distribution of water containers to Senegalese schoolchildren

The first Nanoaid unit has been installed at Cagnout School. Until now, pupils at this school had been drinking untreated water, which was the cause of many illnesses linked to unsafe water.

Tippy Taps – simple handwashing stations – have also been made and installed in strategic locations around the playground to make it easier for the children to wash their hands 💛

At another school in Casamance – Pointe Saint Georges Primary School – individual water containers were handed out to pupils as part of a workshop on good hygiene practices at school and the importance of staying hydrated.

Water is the first, invisible ingredient in our diet.

Without good-quality water, there can be no healthy agriculture, no sustainable fishing, and no reliable food supply chain. Protecting water means protecting the very basis of what we eat.

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With “Le goût des territoires” (The Taste of the Regions), the Jacques Martel Foundation is launching a call for projects to revive the flavours that are the soul of a region.

Faced with the standardisation of tastes, we want to support initiatives that highlight an iconic product, a forgotten recipe, local expertise… and breathe new life into a vibrant and sustainable local food heritage.

Because promoting heritage through taste is not just about cooking.

It is about preserving culture, supporting local producers, creating links between generations and encouraging healthy and responsible eating.

This call for projects fits in with two of the Jacques Martel Foundation’s key missions: supporting healthy and local food & promoting the heritage and culture around us. It also lines up with the Fund’s purpose: Protecting and passing on the future.

📣 Committed associations and local stakeholders, the aim of this call for projects is to support you in developing inspiring, structuring and unifying projects that can bring your region’s food identity to life in a tangible way.

Find out more about the call for projects, how to participate and eligibility criteria ⤵️

The taste of the regions – Application file

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‘Peer violence prevents children from growing up peacefully and expressing their full physical, psychological, intellectual and social potential.’

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Under the direction of Sergio Monterisi, composer and conductor, and Magali Thomas as stage director, 150 pupils from the eastern neighbourhoods filled the stage of the Nice Opera House for a rehearsal that was a huge success.

Why decide to support this initiative?

For the third consecutive season, the Jacques Martel Foundation is supporting the Nice Opera in the production of a participatory opera. This format immediately appealed to the Foundation’s governance: it allows children, who are often far removed from the world of opera, to discover the professions involved in opera and to experience collective creation through a shared work.

This educational project, which promotes access to culture for all, is fully in line with the Jacques Martel Foundation’s mission to support education.

Culture creates connection—a precious connection in our communities, at a time when relationships are increasingly being built remotely, behind screens, an issue that is also important to us.

Finally, art plays an essential role in the circulation of ideas and the opening of minds, countering the uniformity that certain uses of social media can produce.

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1. Protection of marine resources

The ‘Objectif Océan’ project dominated much of the year. The challenge was commensurate with the collective commitment.

• Launch of an appeal for generosity during a transatlantic crossing between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, in order to raise awareness among as many people as possible about the threats facing the ocean. All donations collected were donated to the Surfrider Foundation Europe.
• Organisation of a waste collection in Guadeloupe with the local Surfrider team, to remind everyone that they can take action at their own level.
• Support for the No Plastic In My Sea association in creating a fact sheet aimed at limiting the use of plastic at sea. This information sheet was given to more than 150 crews who took part in the crossing.

Earlier in the year, the Jacques Martel Foundation co-hosted an educational stand on the preservation of marine ecosystems with Alexia Barrier’s 4myplanet association as part of the major conference on the ocean held in Nice in June.

👉 More information about our actions during the UNOC: https://fjmartel.org/oceans-au-dela-des-paroles-les-actions/

2. Actions in favour of sick children and their families

In 2025, the Jacques Martel Foundation continued its support for associations that provide daily support to sick and/or disabled children and their families.

Among the actions carried out:

The financing of a “Bulle d’oxygène” by the LEA association, offering around fifty children and their families a trip out to sea from Sanary-sur-Mer to see dolphins and whales.

The renewal of support for the Adrien association, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in May. This was an opportunity for the Jacques Martel Foundation to present its president with a cheque to help fund an essential project: the Maison Adrien. More information: Visiting the Maison Adrien

Other initiatives took place throughout the year, notably with the associations ‘Ensemble pour Louca’ and ‘Indigo 06’.

3. Support for education

This year, the Foundation took a broad approach to education, focusing as much on learning as on children’s well-being.

It worked with the association Lève Les Yeux to combat children’s overexposure to screens. There are many challenges: regaining concentration, memory and imagination in the first instance, but also reconnecting with oneself and one’s loved ones.

Thanks to Sens Solidaires, supported for the second consecutive year, schoolchildren in Nice were made aware of the marine biodiversity that is so close to them, yet sometimes overlooked.

With the Nice Opera, the Jacques Martel Foundation has committed to a major project: a participatory opera that took a year and a half to prepare and will enable 150 young people from Nice to discover an artistic world often perceived as inaccessible. To be discovered at the Nice Opera in June 2026.

4. Promoting local heritage

At the end of 2024, the Jacques Martel Foundation launched a public appeal for donations to restore the stained glass windows of Saint-Césaire Church in Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne.

This 18th-century building, the true heart of the village, generated a strong response; 100% of the target was reached and restoration work was able to begin.

5. Healthy & sustainable food

At the end of 2024, the Jacques Martel Fund launched a call for projects with the aim of encouraging initiatives promoting healthy and sustainable food, focusing on taste education and innovation.

Results:

• 10 projects received
• 3 winners selected
• Actions carried out with children from nursery school to Year 6 in three regions in the south of France – Alpes Maritimes, Lozère and Greater Avignon

From oceans to vegetable gardens, education to heritage, each initiative reflects the same desire: to raise awareness, mobilise and take concrete action for essential causes, alongside associations that we thank for their unfailing commitment.

It is now time to wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year, with one wish for 2026: that together, we continue to take action to protect and pass on the future.

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A great news : the restoration work will remain in the department, carried out by renowned local craftsmen.

This restoration project is part of a drive to promote and pass on local and historical heritage, which is very important to the residents of Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne. For the Jacques Martel Foundation, preserving and passing on “savoir-faire” is also a fundamental part of its mission.

At this stage, no date has been announced for the reinstallation of the stained-glass windows. The overall restoration project for the church is currently entering its final preparatory phase: protection and/or relocation of furniture and artwork, installation of interior scaffolding in early January. The work will then take approximately nine months to complete.

The Jacques Martel Fund is delighted to have been invited to attend the upcoming site meetings to monitor the progress of the work. We will be sure to keep you informed.

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All smiles, the seven crew members were greeted with applause from the ARC organisers and crews who had already arrived. It was an arrival that matched their commitment.

What happened in 19 days?

Sporting challenges

A year and a half of preparation for 19 days at sea: the commitment was worth it.

The crossing offered some exceptional moments, when Lazyjack 2 surfed the waves and covered the miles at high speed. Other moments were a little more technical, particularly when arriving in the tropics, with winds gusting up to 45 knots and waves of 2 to 4 meters.

Discovering the raw beauty of the ocean

Whatever the time of day or night, the ocean offered its immensity and beauty.

‘On the 12th day, the same feeling prevails. The days pass by without a care, the manoeuvres follow one another and are never the same, and every morning and evening we remain contemplative before the beauty of the skies, the stars and the sunsets. Pure delight.”

As well as its riches, with the observation of a rich marine fauna: cetaceans, diverse and varied fish (flying fish, mahi mahi, marlins, tazar…), fluorescent jellyfish and phosphorescent plankton.

Little visible pollution

The mid-term observation was confirmed: little visible pollution, a uniform blue as far as the eye can see.

A beauty too good to be true… the most insidious pollution is often invisible: microplastics, diffuse pollutants, imperceptible to the naked eye but far from harmless.

Next step?

The transatlantic crossing is over, but the Objectif Océan project of the Jacques Martel Foundation continues.

Surfrider Foundation Europe is an organisation committed to preserving and promoting a healthy ocean. Among its activities is waste collection.

This is the next step in the journey: waste collection on a beach in Saint François, Guadeloupe, with the association’s local team.

📆 See you on 21 December at 9.30am!

This will also be an opportunity for the Jacques Martel Foundation to reveal the amount of donations collected for Surfrider Foundation Europe.

💙 There are still a few days left to contribute.

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It is both symbolic—so much progress has been made since the initial idea—and very concrete, as we are already receiving valuable findings and testimonials.

For the Jacques Martel Foundation, this mid-term review is very encouraging.

There was the transatlantic crossing project, the desire to take advantage of this journey to shine a spotlight on the ocean and its fragility, the meeting with Surfrider Foundation Europe, the immediate commitment to the project, the crazy ideas… not so crazy after all, and the commitment, first human, then financial, which continues to grow (👋 26 days left).

And the next steps, which continue to mobilise all those involved. As a reminder:

🌱 The crew will take part in a waste collection event organised by the local Surfrider Foundation Europe team on a beach in Guadeloupe on 23 December 2025.

🎥 Once edited, the crew will have the immense pleasure of presenting Surfrider with a film documenting the state of the ocean between the Canary Islands and the Caribbean.

At this point, what does the crew have to tell us?

First, a surprise: very little traffic on the route; not a single container ship had been sighted so far!

Then, constant wonder: lots of cetaceans at the start of the crossing, replaced by numerous flying fish, which sometimes washed up on the deck, but also a beautiful diversity of fish (marlins, sea bream, tuna, etc.) to the delight of the fishermen.

Phosphorescent plankton and large fluorescent jellyfish also enlivened the night watches.

The only concern at the moment is sargassum!

The crew encountered it right from the start, when they were expecting to see it as they approached Saint Lucia. Of course, we think of container ships, which carry these invasive species attached to their hulls as they criss-cross the globe…

As a reminder, sargassum is a disaster for the Caribbean because they run aground up on beaches, sometimes several metres thick, and can release toxic gases as it decomposes. At sea, it complicates navigation and suffocates coastal ecosystems, particularly corals.

However, there is no plastic pollution visible to the naked eye (no drift nets, no buoys, etc.). This does not mean that microplastics are absent; they are invisible and continue to pollute marine ecosystems silently.

So, halfway through the journey, the crew reminds us that the ocean remains a place of beauty, mystery and profound fragility: all the more reason to continue our commitment to protecting it, together.

* Project of general interest as part of the Jacques Martel Foundation’s ‘protection of marine resources’ mission.

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