?I have been in Mauritius for two and a half years. Throughout my time here, I have been able to notice how important family values are in people?s lives. I come from South Africa where family values do not necessarily have as much importance as here. I personally believe it is one of the main reasons why there are lots of crimes there. In Mauritius, you can still go to various places keeping in mind that they are safe, mainly because children have been educated the right way.

One must not forget that these days the cost of living has increased, so parents have to work longer hours than before in the world. People tend to put their work first before their family.

However, it is great that Mauritian people have not adopted the same attitude. I noticed this when I look at my staff. For example, I usually drop off the supervisor who works with me at home. I noticed that his mother-in-law, brother-in law and so on all live in a very close proximity. Moreover, here in Mauritius, people might go abroad for studies or for work. But one day or another, they end up coming home. Whereas in South Africa for example, people go abroad, and often never come back. This is the case in many other foreign countries.

Furthermore, in Mauritius, although work is very important, spending time with family remains essential for people. As a consequence, kids are able to grow in an environment whereby they can use the benefit any parent can give to his child. I firmly believe this is essential for the development of any child!

Mauritius is such a fantastic island! Everyone seems to live in harmony. People socialize a lot. According to me, those family values have been passed from generation to generation. As I said the world is becoming materialistic. This might apply to Mauritian people in the years to come. But I think their attitudes should remain exactly the same. The attitude they have is a great asset!?