Sandyana Nudsingen : a determined young trailblazer 

Principled, impassioned and brave, her insistence to being a real change in our Mauritian society, Sandyana Nudsingen, an LLB student, has taken the bold step since the age of 18 to deal deftly with all the problems in our paradise island. Driven by the understanding that action speaks louder than words, she has founded an NGO along with her friends for a transformational change for society. 

At the age of 18, a crucial phase when all young people find it hard to strike the right balance between studies and personal life, Sandyana Nudsingen decided to create her own niche by getting involved in social activities. She founded her own NGO named First Humanity and launched herself as a Global Peace Ambassador. She reveals that along with her five friends, Damini Bhookhun, Vaishnavi Mahajan, Prekshaa Jessica Luximun, Diya Persad et Mari Aurore Reine de Carthage, they have opted for a different pathway in bringing a real change. “We make videos to raise awareness, our recent video was on gender-based violence. We participate in clean-ups. We organize activities for kids. For the International Family Day, we organized an event in a school with the help of teachers. So all our directors work each at a time and try to come up with ideas where we can bring changes at the least cost possible.” She also reveals that they operate with their own funds where every member contributes but they also collaborate with others. 

We make videos to raise awareness, our recent video was on gender-based violence. We participate in clean-ups. We organize activities for kids. For the International Family Day, we organized an event in a school with the help of teachers."

When asked what pushed her to launch this NGO, she replies: “As young people, we had a lot of visions and projects in mind. However, several times, we had to give up on an idea but later, we would deeply regret it. We then realized that by just thinking, no change would be brought to light. We needed to work very hard to make a difference in whatever we hoped to accomplish. If every youngster attempts to work on a positive change, we could have created a perfect country by now.” 

The young lady believes that whether the transformation is small or big, you need to have the willpower and stamina to do it. “If you want to change anything minor or big, you will definitely find a way to do it. Besides, we must also be able to prove that with the smallest amount of money, we can still bring positive environmental changes.”  

Additionally, the young lady argues that our society lacks sparkles. “Our youngsters prefer to stay in their comfort zone. They are lethargic: They do not want to move, build things, make projects or take risks and work on them. Mentally, many of them are slack, contented and just find it convenient to sit on their bed all day long.” 

If you want to change anything minor or big, you will definitely find a way to do it. Besides, we must also be able to prove that with the smallest amount of money, we can still bring positive environmental changes."

She states that as a young lady, she has herself faced various challenges but still did not lose hope or confidence. “The challenges I faced were to learn to live in any environment and still remain focussed on my goals. I never get discouraged if anyone tries to pull me down. I always believe that everything happens for a good reason and you do not have to compare where you’ve reached with other people’s achievements. Work more on yourself.” 

Along with her NGO, she is also involved in other activities. She is a member of Rotaract Club of St Pierre, a member of Raise Brave Girls and a Global Peace Ambassador. “My dream is to become a lawyer as I have been inspired by my family. Our NGO with my friends is our dream come true. I wish we will stay forever young by consistently keeping a youthful mind-set, reenergizing ourselves with tenacious endeavours. Our project for next year is planning to set up Global Peace Summits at different universities around the country.” 

Projects 

The NGOs have been involved in various activities so far. For instance, they participated in a beach clean-up at Flic en Flac with the collaboration of Rotaract of St Pierre and Human Rights Shall Prevail and two members Vindika Babajee and Deepshika Ramful and it was a tremendous success. This is certainly not the end, as there are other interesting projects lined up.