Mauritius: Les Mini Perles Day Care Centre, aiming to provide education facilities to vulnerable children of the region, was inaugurated yesterday at Camp Charlot, Chemin Grenier, in the presence of the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo; the spouse of the Prime Minister, Mrs Kobita Jugnauth; Members of the Parliament; and other personalities.
As part of its national programme to combat school failure and poverty, the Fortified Learning Environment Unit (FLEU) of the National Social Inclusion Foundation (NSIF), in collaboration with the Association pour l’Education Des Enfants Defavorisés (APEDED), set up the Day Care Centre equipped with all necessary facilities and appropriate infrastructure.
In his address, Minister Ganoo lauded the NSIF for leading Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in meeting their objectives whilst ensuring a better quality of life for vulnerable families. The creation of the Day Care Centre, he said, is an initiative which will enable women in the region to leave their children in a secure place and get the opportunity to become autonomous and breadwinners of the family.
One of the key priority areas of Government, he pointed out, is to fight poverty and ensure social inclusion for all. The Government, he said, is doing all possible to fight poverty, ensure a good standard of living and provide support to vulnerable persons. It is in the same endeavour, he highlighted, that each year Government increases the budget for social security.
Minister Ganoo further said that the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the economy and families, recalling that the Government has introduced the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-employed Assistance Scheme to ensure that the citizens are able to lead a decent life.
Speaking about education, he underlined that it is of utmost importance and stressed the need to educate each child in the country to eradicate poverty and social exclusion.
Also present on occasion, the Chairperson of NSIF, Mr Menon Munien, applauded the NGOs for providing support to vulnerable persons and working towards a better future for the country despite the unprecedented challenges.
He recalled that the NSIF was created in 2017 to support NGOs, adding that the NSIF disburses around Rs 800 million annually to help some 250 NGOs and Rs 35 million for 26 Care Centres.
He also announced the creation of four additional Day Care Centres by next year to ensure that no child is left behind and is receiving appropriate care, guidance and education.
For her part, Mrs Kobita Jugnauth said that education is a key element in shaping the life of a child right from a very young age. It is this upbringing that decides the course of life of a child, she stressed. She made an appeal to NGOs to continue to be at the service of the population and take the country to greater heights.