“Ray of Light engages the community & other stakeholders in multiple projects aimed at uplifting those suffering from various types of marginalization. Ray of Light covers the following SDGs: 1 No Poverty; 2 Zero Hunger; 3 Good Health & Well-Being; 4 Quality Education; 5 Gender Equality; 6 Clean Water and Sanitization; 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; 10 Reduced Inequalities; 16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions. We collaborate with NGOs dedicated to offering quality education to children coming from disadvantaged households, healthcare to the needy, support for gender equality through women and girls’ empowerment, advising and guiding the disabled towards self-reliance, through sports or IT projects.”
Here are just are just some of the projects LUX* Collective support and collaborate with:
1000 Sourires Association
“Created in 2006, Association 1000 Sourires is LUX* St Gilles’s affiliate NGO. It has been attending to the development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds or suffering from handicaps and illnesses through classes and workshops. The association also creates activities for the children, also known as Very Important Marmaille (VIM), to live happy, dreamy moments which help to inculcate values in them and most importantly, to put a smile of their faces.”
Ecole de la Vie in Tombeau Bay
Much of LUX* Resorts& Hotels’ corporate social support is linked to the advancement of children that have been disadvantaged early in life by hardship and an educational system unable to meet their needs. It is an uphill fight at times, but a worthwhile one, which is why LUX* continues to supports Ecole de la Vie in Tombeau Bay, north of Port Louis. The school helps children who’ve dropped out of school in the region around Tombeau Bay. It is part of ANFEN, nowadays a network of 20 NGOs in Mauritius and Rodrigues providing non-formal education around the country to more than 1,000 teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Mahebourg Espoir
The association, Mahebourg Espoir, runs an educational centre which is far more than just an alternative form of school. It was set up in 2009, after another cetre closed down and several young girls had nothing else to do – apartfrom roam the streets. It organises a whole range of activities for the youngsters beyond just preparing them to gain qualifications or learn a trade, so that they can end up in work, develop as individuals and lead useful lives. Most of them end up so enthusiastic that they’re disappointed when there’s a public holiday and the centre’s closed. One of the reasons for Mahebourg Espoir’s success is that, in parallel, it provides support to the youngsters’ families, families often with a single mother at the head. Ambitious projects include an Early Learning Corner, now set up in Mahebourg, targeting youngsters from Cité-La-Chaux. There are plans to build 32 small houses in Cité-Tole, where the unemployment rate stands at 70%, as well as a crèche to enable more mothers to go out to work.
Environmental preservation is one of the many facets of life integrated into the centre’s activities. The youngsters were recently involved in supporting an Eco-Sud project, planting mangrove trees all along the coast road at Pointe Jerome. One day, perhaps, one or two of them will end up working for LUX* Resorts & Hotels. Given the drive and enthusiasm of the Centre’s volunteers, and their determination to draw these children out of poverty.