Barclays Colours of Life 2016: NGOs discuss means to tackle social ills

What are the scourges affecting our society today? What are the priorities that we need to focus on? These were some of the questions that were addressed on Wednesday, October 12, during a round table organised by Barclays Bank on the theme ‘Fight against Social Evils.’

This event, organised as part of the Barclays Colours of Life Awards 2016, gathered about twenty NGO representatives involved in this field including several speakers among Eric Bell of Fondation Espoir et Développement, Dana Chengen, treasurer of the MACOSS, Michaella Clement and Gilbert Leste from the NGO Etoile d’Espérance, Darren Vencatasamy, beneficiary of the Maison Familiale Rurale de Souillac and Renuka Jacquette from Barclays Bank Mauritius.

“The Barclays Colours of Life Awards is very important for our institution because it is a way for us to confirm our social commitment and demonstrate that we believe in NGOs. With this ‘Round Table’, we wanted to give to NGOs and social workers the opportunity to be heard and to share their experience. They have a crucial role in the community and, through their work and the causes they advocate, they help to improve our country. Barclays is there to support, not only financially but also by helping them to be heard”, explained Renuka Jacquette, Community Investment Manager.

In his speech, the treasurer of the MACOSS Dana Chengen emphasised the need for NGO projects to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. “NGOs is engaged in several areas, including the fight against the scourges of society, contribute in their way to the overall development of the country. To be more effective on the ground, we must analyse and understand the problem. Finding strategic partners is also a solution in order not to develop ‘showcase’ projects which, in the end, do not contribute to development.”

According to Eric Bell of Fondation Espoir et Développement, “going towards young people is a way to mitigate the progression of society ills. At our foundation, we work with young people who have been out of school or teen moms, and we help them to develop skills that will be useful in their daily lives. Young people in disadvantaged areas are more exposed than others to various ills, particularly because of peer pressure. So we set up a committee that meets these young people because we believe that the exchange between the young people and adults helps to make them more aware of their responsibilities.”

Michaella Clement from the NGO Etoile d’Espérance, which helps women dependent on alcohol, has noted a rejuvenation among victims of social ills in Mauritius. “Our organisation provides residential services to women who are addicted to alcohol, and it is an ill that affects all social strata.” Gilbert Leste also explained that for the NGO “the challenge remains the treatment of case by case, and especially the fight against stigmatization of the victims. There are no easy solutions, we need help, support so that, in turn, we can support those who have fallen into alcohol.”

Darren Vencatasamy is a young man aged 19 who has left school and received training at the Maison Familiale Rurale (MFR) of Savanne. “I could not adapt to the normal school system, and thanks to the advice of my friends, I found myself at MFR. Today, I learned several professions, including welding and plumbing, and I do internships in hotels. Besides, I later intend to find work in a hotel. Without this framework, I would have probably taken a wrong path,” he shared. 

One of the findings identified by the participants of the debate is the ‘alarming’ spreading of certain social evils such as child prostitution, cybercrime, synthetic drugs and addiction. In addition, several of them have stressed on the need for better collaboration between NGOs working in the same field, and the creation of a platform bringing together NGOs, the private sector and the public sector so as to give any approach a multidimensional scope.