According to the American Music Therapy Association, Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used as a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals. This form of therapy also provides an avenue for communication that can be helpful to those who find difficulty in expressing themselves verbally.

The provision of these treatments have been made possible in Seychelles through Doctor Music, a business owned and managed by therapists Anastasiya Verkhtutova and Aleksei Goloviznin. SIB’s Investment Analysts met with the owners at their studio at Beau Vallon for a post-investment support visit.

The team learnt about the business in detail as Ms. Verkhtutova, who has studied music therapy extensively, explained its benefits and uses in treating primarily speech impediment issues. She shared that most of their clients are children whose parents have heard of the business and its benefits, and who are now seeing the results through their children’s speech and overall demeanor.

Other than helping with speech impediments, music therapy also offers remedial benefits for insomnia and depression. Doctor Music aims to expand their sessions in the future to be able to cater for clients suffering from these ailments. The owners also described the business’ plan to train new specialists so that they are able to not only take on more clients but to work with different organisations simultaneously. Doctor Music is incredibly proud of all its clients and the progress they have shown, and as such would like to showcase their talent through a concert in the future.

In sharing other future plans as well as constraints they are currently facing as a business, the owners were able to receive the professional advice from the Investment Analysts and were offered assistance should their need further post-investment support.

The Government of Seychelles has announced a set of measures to assist businesses in Seychelles, in view of the threat that the Covid-19 pandemic is posing. 

As part of SIB’s Post- Investment Support services, a small team of SIB’s Investment Analysts met with the managers of La Belle Tortue Lodge & Gastronomic Restaurant on Silhouette Island.

The visit kicked off with a short meeting with the managers Benjamin and Cora Cassé to give a brief on the ways in which SIB can lend support to them.

Following the short meeting, the managers took the team on a tour of the establishment and its grounds. La Belle Tortue is a small luxury lodge with a capacity of only fifteen guests, promising its patrons an intimate and exclusive experience. Its three houses comprise of nine bedrooms in total all with sea views, as well as a gastronomic restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lodge currently employs seven staff members in total, of which three are Seychellois. Mr. and Mrs. Cassé also shared that the lodge has fully met the requirements by the Ministry of Health to be able to welcome visitors, and to date since the lockdown they have hosted six tourists. 

Following the visit, Mr. and Mrs. Cassé explained some of the constraints that they were facing. Future plans and re-investment projects were also discussed, such as maintenance plans that will accent the traditional architecture of the lodge, building an open-air kitchen for interactive cooking experiences, a home garden and efforts to contribute to more employment opportunities.

The SIB team was able to offer their advice on these matters and invited the managers to contact the team should they need any additional support.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the visit.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in economic activities in the Seychelles. In this direction, the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) has established the Private Sector Relief Scheme