"Life just does what it wants with you.? Peter came back to his wife?s native country four years ago with the dream of becoming the national snooker coach? and he has ended up helping young adolescents to ?achieve something in life and especially self-respect?. He is working in collaboration with five Adolescent Non-Formal Education Network (Anfen) centres around Mauritius to teach the kids yoga and kung fu.

?When we left England, I really wanted to become a snooker coach here but things didn?t work out the way I wanted them to. So, one day, I woke up and it just came into my mind that I should go back to social work ? which was something I had done when I was in England?, Peter explains. So, he contacted the British Council which gave him the list of organisations in Mauritius and Anfen finally gave him the opportunity to realise his project. ?I now work with 120 students and I must say it is the most fulfilling thing I have done in my whole life.?

The pupils from Anfen have either failed their Certificate of Primary Education or not sat for the exams for one reason or another. ?The problem is that these pupils have already been labelled as failures. There is so much pressure on them to succeed?, he deplores. So, instead of putting even more pressure on them when they start anew at Anfen centres ? the latter aim at starting all subjects from the basics and allowing the child to return to the mainstream and sit for the CPE when they are ready ? Peter?s aim is to offer them a ?little extra that will instil a sense of discipline in them as well as an opportunity to grow as individuals?.

Peter hopes yoga and martial arts will help them gain self-respect and allow them to work on their own person to better communicate with others in the long-term. And it seems he has really achieved his objective, as he has had ?no negative response so far?.

Although language could have been a problem at the beginning, communication has been made much easier by volunteers and teachers who have been ?very helpful with translation?. The fact that his courses are mostly practical ? ?I teach by example through postures and movements? ? also makes it easier for pupils to understand. ?We really have a great rapport and I feel they just love it now.?

Peter would actually love to train more pupils but he has ?no spare time?. As the centres are quite far from his house, he spends a whole day on three sessions in one centre. However, he plans to train volunteers who are already ?picking up? what he is doing as well as a few youngsters whom he has seen blooming during the past few months. ?These pupils are already taking over the class at the moment and help those who are lagging behind.? He makes it clear that he doesn?t know how long he will be staying in Mauritius. ?I am leaving it open but, if one day I decide to leave, I would not like the project to collapse.?