On May 29, 2025, Caritas Mauritius celebrated its diamond jubilee. While the celebration was a joyous one, attended by all stakeholders, it was also an opportunity for the NGO to share its vision for the years ahead. Jennifer Léopold, Caritas coordinator and training manager, shares her views on this turning point. Eugénie Sauzier-de Rosnay
Caritas partners, collaborators, volunteers and employees gathered at the Institut Cardinal Jean Margéot (ICJM) in Rose Hill on May 29 for a particularly moving evening. “We wanted to organize this event to thank all those who, through their support, enable us to set up projects, but also to perpetuate our action”, confides Jennifer Léopold.
More than just an event, this anniversary was also an opportunity to unveil the mission established for the next five years and the new NGO logo. “The marked 6 represents the stability of our association, while the open 0 symbolizes continuity and openness to other generations. The three silhouettes refer to three of our principles: the integral and integrated development of the human person, active solidarity and collective commitment”, she continues.
Indeed, although the association started out in 1965 by providing one-off assistance to the most disadvantaged, it has since evolved considerably! The 80s marked the first turning point in the way Caritas Mauritius operated: it moved away from pure assistance to the development of projects to empower the people it helped, through literacy programs, for example.
Today, Caritas Mauritius has 46 branches and operates at many different levels. “Our work focuses on three main areas. The first, accompaniment and development, involves our early learning centers, crèches, community gardens, solidarity stores and, of course, our day-to-day listening and support,” explains our contact.
Added to this is a training service, encompassing functional literacy, training in pastry-making, baking and, soon, cooking, as well as life skills development. Finally, housing assistance, through night shelters or targeted aid to improve the living environment of those concerned, completes the very long list of services offered by Caritas Mauritius.
In addition to this desire to promote the possibility of living with dignity, the NGO offers integral and, above all, extremely humane support – an approach which, incidentally, is a two-way street! “The biggest mistake is to think that all we do is give. In the words of Msgr Durhône,today we’re not talking about beneficiaries, but about brothers and sisters in the samepoverty. We receive as much as we give,” concludes Jennifer Léopold. In this extended family, it’s not uncommon to see former beneficiaries become agents of change within the NGO, bringing the circle of benevolence full circle.
Caritas Mauritius in figures :
46 branches
9 thousand families supported
1 thousand volunteers
17 early-learning centers
5 solidarity stores
2 crèches
2 community gardens
2 night shelters
1 halfway house
1 training center
1 apprenticeship center
