Paradise lost?

Raaisha Fhathimath lives in paradise, or to be precise, 200 meters from paradise.

The 11-year-old girl lives on K. Guraidhoo, a residency island in the Republic of the Maldives, a place often regarded as paradise by the thousands of tourists it attracts every year. Across a short stretch of water, a five-star resort is clearly visible.

From Raaisha's three-room concrete home, one can hear the music from the shore opposite, carried on a sweet tropical wind. The waters between Raaisha's home island and the resort are blue and shallow and the crossing looks as though it would be easy for any competent swimmer.