Beachcomber Magazine 02

Malenn Oodiah COMPASS OF THE SOUL LE CoMPAS DE L’âME His sense of observation and critical thinking and his steadfast combat against the pauperisation of both man and nature, have made him a voice – and a pen! – to be heard in Mauritius. Son sens de l’observation et de l’analyse, sa fidélité à combattre la paupérisation des hommes comme celle de la nature, ont fait de lui une voix – et une plume ! – qui compte à Maurice. BY VIRGINIE LUC PHOTOGRAPH PIERRE PERRIN my greatest joy is to see a seed germinate and watch the tiny seedling grow. ”Inthe gardenofhishouseinRose- Hillandinhisprofessionallife,Malenn Oodiah,sociologistandchairmanof theFondationEspoirDéveloppe- mentBeachcomber(FED),bornin Rose-Hill,Mauritiusin1957,watches overbothpeopleandnature. CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY Sociologistbytrade,historianand philosopher,MalennstudiedinStras- bourgbeforereturningtotheisland tomanagetheBeachcomberGroup communicationdepartment.In1999, aftertheriotsthatshookthepopu- lation,Malennrespondedconvincingly: “ the decade from ‘82 to ‘92 saw an economic miracle. the first signs of weakness appeared in 1993. nothing much was done… until the riots in 1999 that voiced the revolt of the victims of social exclusion. i shared my analysis with the group’s managers who reacted to the need to reinforce their social and civic responsibility, ”explainsMalenn Oodiah.ThisledtotheFondationEspoir Développement,whosecreedis“It’s bettertoteachpeopletofishrather thanjustgivingthemafish.”“ the aim is independence, and toachieve it, weneed to restore theconfidenceandself-esteem of thosemost inneed througheducation, training and vocational guidance. ” A HELPING HAND Ourmaintargetsareyoungdropouts orunderprivilegedchildren.“ these are the ones who will decide the future of the island. they will establish a feeling of security in the island. ”Thus,in2001, theFEDinitiatedthe“ProjetEmplo- yabilitéJeunes”(youthemployability project).Sincethen,nearly3,000young peoplehaveattendedtrainingcourses andinternshipsinthegroup’shotels, supervisedbyanemployeetutor,and mosthavemanagedtoobtainstable employment.Theprojecthelpsthe youngpeople,andalsotakescareoftheir familiestobreakoutoftheisolationand buildupalovingfamilyrelationship. InadditiontothePEJ,in2006theFED initiatedtheassociationBeautiful LocalHandstodeveloplocalcrafts- manship,andsupportanddevelop production,bringthecraftworkers togetherandintroduceadistribution system.Othermissionsfollowedwith NGOs,schoolsandassociations.All theseinitiativesledbytheFEDand financedbyBeachcombershareonegoal: tohelpthemostdestitutetoreinte- grateworkinglifebygivingthemthe meanstosupportthemselves. LIVING TOGETHER “ the strength of our people lies in their ability to live and build together. this above all else is what we must preserve in these hostile populist times, ”observes MalennOodiah. Livingtogetheralsomeanspreserving theenvironmentandsupportingsustain- abledevelopmentthroughresponsible practice.Thegroup’sresortshave obtai- nedEarthCheckBenchmarkcertification fortheircontinuouscommitmenttothe preservationofresources. Mauritiusisthreehundredyearsoldand hasahistoryaspainfulasitisrich.Itis alandofmixedrace,nourishedbythe historiesofdifferentpeoplesandcultures. Respectfornature,resilienceand hospitalityarethepillarsthatunderpin thepeaceandharmony.“ it is a long, patient journey, ”saysMalennOodiah, withaconfident,radiantsmile.  ‘‘