Chandranee BHUCKORY President of the MACOSS

What is this initiative of Sponsor a Child about?

Sponsor a Child is a non-governmental organization (NGO) created by Dr. Satish Boolell two years ago. The aim of this organization is to findresources to help children in need. A lot of people want to help those children, but they do not know how to do so. Hence, we act as an intermediary between those people and the children who will get this help. We think we have the necessary human resources to do the job. For example, we even have a lawyer who takes care of the legal aspects of the project.

Can you give us some more information about the project itself?

The project concerns children between four and 18 years old. We are willing to help everyone. We also help children with medical needs. There are medicines that those children cannot afford and we, thanks to sponsors, can help them to buy them. Every child has the same rights and should have the same facilities as others!

Most of the time, this kind of organisation helps by providing the kids with clothes or toys. How come your organisation is considering children's educational and medical needs?

Indeed, these days, people tend to give toys or clothes to children. I think it is a good idea. However, there are institutions where the kids do not have access to more basic needs like education or health services. This is why we have decided to take care of this aspect.

Where do you obtain your funds?

Recently a company offered Rs 100 000. Then, three people said that they were willing to sponsor a child each. In addition, there is an organisation of Mauritian volunteers in Brussels. According to what we have seen in other similar organisations, this kind of help has allowed some children to get access to secondary education. Moreover, some have been able to get vocational training.

For how long will this initiative last?

We had some little problems to get it working properly in the beginning. We had to stop for a while. Now we have re-launched the project after establishing a plan. And it will last as long as we have sponsors. We want it to be a long-term success.

Do you feel satisfied with progress so far ?

To be honest, at the beginning I was not very satisfied. But since the re-launching of the project, I feel more hopeful. As the president of Sponsor a Child, I am very confident and optimistic for the future. But there is still a lot of work to be done.