Training on social entrepreneurship to empower NGOs

Training workshops, on social entrepreneurship to be organised by the Decentralised Cooperation Programme (DCP), were the focus of a joint press conference held this week in Port Louis by the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, and the Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) to Mauritius, Mrs Marjaana Sall. Following consultations with Non-State Actors (NSAs) in the course of its calls for grant proposals and monitoring of project implementation by NSAs, the DCP has identified social entrepreneurship as an area for capacity building in the non-profit sector in Mauritius. In this context, the DCP in collaboration with the Non Government Organisations (NGOs) Common Training Strategy Committee, which falls under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Security, is organising training workshops on social entrepreneurship targeting civil society organisations, NSAs, NGOs, community-based organisations, social workers, and officers involved in mentoring and regulation, from 11 April to 30 June 2016. Addressing the media, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo stated that through this training, NSAs and other actors of the social sector will be better equipped to work with the under-privileged groups, by providing better services and other services, which are vital to improve the life chances of those living in poverty. Consequently, the NSAs will be able to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in the Republic of Mauritius whilst working in synergy with other organisations running empowerment and poverty alleviation programme, she added. According to the Minister, social entrepreneurship, is in line with Government vision to promote a paradigm shift in the NGO Sector for sustainability, autonomy and effective service delivery to the vulnerable groups. Furthermore, Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo recalled that the Social Entrepreneurship Award, launched last October, is a Business Plan competition for NGOs, which aims at unlocking the potential of NGOs to create social value through social entrepreneurship ventures. The projects are assessed along the following criteria: Idea Generation and Opportunity Recognition; Social Value Creation; Organisational Capacity and Sustainability. For her part, Mrs Sall underlined that the training workshop, which is financed by the EU, also aims at helping potential participants in identifying opportunities that can be developed into innovative social projects. Social entrepreneurship offers an exciting new opportunity to stimulate growth in the economy and encourage independence and entrepreneurship whilst solving social issues, she said.