We have all heard of the expression ?as dead as a dodo?. This rare bird is associated with Mauritian history. Now to add to the mystery and beauty of the island, researchers have been excavating for the remains of the dodo to find out how the giant bird became extinct.

The Times (26 June, 06) quotes Dr Julian Hume of the Dodo Research Programme as saying: ?The chance of a single bone being preserved is a remarkable event. And here we have a whole collection of them. Now we have a context.? Researchers in Mauritius are prepared to do everything to find dodo bones in order to obtain clues as to this bird?s fate. Now they have a context.

The social and economic problems of the country have been in context for long enough however and are staring every expert in the face; yet they remain unsolved so far. Despite all the tall talk and lip service, the commitment is poor and funding is slow, practically nil in ensuring that the root causes of poverty, child abuse, rape, violence, drug and alcohol abuse are tackled.

<B>Shoestring budget</B>

All the NGOs are struggling to render the assistance and support they can manage on a shoestring budget. SOS Femmes is reduced to begging for funds to continue its work. We celebrate Mother?s day yet we do not treat our women well; we seem to neglect the work of the only organisation caring for this section of our population. We worship all the women goddesses and yet we see our women being battered, raped, killed and buried without any respect. What kind of society is this? All our basic values seem to have gone by the wayside despite all the strenuous attempts being made by many well-intentioned individuals.

In this context with reference to India a recent article in One India, One People the authors said: ?It is a pity that despite worshipping goddesses in the form of Shakti, Indian society still treats its women with disrespect and dishonour.? I must clarify here that in Mauritius not only Hindu women are experiencing a poor deal. When we fail our women we cannot but expect our society to go downwards. The words of Manu are still relevant. In the home where women are worshipped, there the gods shower blessings; in the home where women are not worshipped even virtuous deeds go unrewarded, he said.

We don?t need to dig deep to find the context of all our social problems eating away at the heart of our society. They are there in full view. Work is already being done to address the many issues we face. Our workers, teachers and volunteers need training in counselling skills, and education to tackle the problems at the root. Ramcharan (l?express, 20 June ) hits the nail on the head in connection with child abuse when he concludes: ?There must be initiatives in identifying high-risk parents-such as young, single, first-time mothers - and providing parental skills training, counselling, education, and social support.?

However, there are not sufficiently prepared and trained counsellors on the island to deliver this much-needed formation. Psychologist Emilie Rivet at the Centre de Formation pour Educateurs is at present delivering such a programme of skills training that needs to be funded properly; so that more selected people could receive such a development that will save us all in the long run (l?express, 25 June). This is an opportunity for the State and sponsors to provide the wherewithal in order to allow this kind of training to continue. The SOS Femmes movement also needs to be properly funded so that such good work may continue in the service of our society.

Should we fail to address the situation now, we will be as dead as the dodo. It is already a costly business. Overseas Mauritians are following closely the degrading situation strangling our society. The threat to our civilized island is enormous. ACT NOW.

<B>Dr David B. Lingiah</B>