This Sunday 17th October, the National Empowerment Foundation and the National Social Inclusion Foundation commemorate World Poverty Eradication Day at the Caudan Arts Centre. The theme chosen this year by the United Nations is ‘Building Foward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet‘. The Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, along with Deputy Prime Minister, Steeve Obeegadoo and Minister of Social Integration, Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo were present.
Addressing the audience, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said that poverty will always exist, but that an individual should not be put in a spiral hell where he or she can no longer breathe. “We have to do everything we can to help the people who have been left behind, it is not by choice that they are in this situation,” he said.
He maintains that everything must be done to help the poor out of this situation, calling on those in need to make good use of the schemes put in place to help them get out of the water and to be responsible as well.
The Prime Minister put forward some figures this morning to explain the action of his government in this fight against poverty. 5 years after the advent of the Marshall Plan, 4 600 households have been lifted out of poverty. They were 11 000, according to a census in 2016. From that same year to date, 1.7 billion rupees have been disbursed in terms of wage support.
To continue to fight absolute poverty, the Prime Minister calls for everyone’s cooperation. Even in times of pandemic, he said, there is no question of reducing support to vulnerable families.
The Minister of Social Security, Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, maintained that poverty remains a challenge and that there is still much to be done to improve the situation of the poor. She mentioned all the existing projects of her ministry to help and support people in poverty. The latest one is the renovation of the houses of the poor people listed in the social register.
To mark the day, the NHDC handed over the keys of social housing to a dozen beneficiaries present at the function this Sunday morning at La Scala in Port-Louis. On the same occasion, a Residential Rehabilitation Centre for the homeless, located in Roche Bois, was inaugurated. This center can accommodate about 30 homeless people. This project was made possible thanks to a sum of Rs 6 million allocated by the Covid-19 Solidarity Committee and the collaboration of the National Social Inclusion Foundation and the Association Pour Personnes en Larmes (APPEL).
