Along with dusk, come numerous silhouettes, all converging towards the Caritas night shelter of Port-Louis. The twenty or so men all have one thing in common: they are homeless. Most of them already know the atmosphere in the shelter is convivial. Sleeping alone in the dark and dangerous streets is now just a bad memory.

Caritas International is a confederation of more than 160 development and social service organizations in over 200 countries and territories. The Mauritian branch operates two night shelters at Trou-Fanfaron in Port-Louis and St Jean in Quatre-Bornes. This non-governmental organization (NGO), one of the largest humanitarian networks, has, since its foundation, fought social exclusion and illiteracy by providing training for the needy.

Founded in 1993, the shelter of Trou-Fanfaron now welcomes about 40 homeless people every night. This first shelter was launched after Karl Offman, the then minister of Social Security, urged NGOs to create a night shelter for those in distress. However, the little support Caritas obtained from the government made it very hard for the volunteers to create this facility. It was finally opened by Abbé Pierre on 13th June the same year.

?The homeless people coming to the shelter are provided with clean clothes,a toothbrush, a bath, a meal and a clean safe place to stay at night,? says Cursley Goindoorajoo, who is in charge. They also have access to a library and community games. Since its opening, it has welcomed about 600 homeless. At night, volunteers are in charge. Moreover, the shelter project also includes a reinsertion program. The two Caritas shelters however cater for men only as, according to official figures, there exist only three or four homeless women in Mauritius, and they find refuge in a convent.

Over the years, the image of the homeless has changed. In fact, dirty long-bearded old men are no longer seen in the shelters. The average age today is around 30. ?Most of today?s homeless are socially excluded, and come most of the time from broken families,? explains one resource person. The work done by the Caritas shelter is not only to provide the homeless with a place to sleep at night but also to help them overcome their problems. As a great number of these people are drug addicts, the NGO volunteers try their best to convince them to follow treatment in appropriate centres. ?If they accept the deal, the next step is to encourage them to get a job to become economically independent.?

<B>Promoting literacy</B>

The strength of Caritas is found in its ongoing presence in communities during and after crisis situations. In order to help people facing different problems, the NGO has set up Relais Espérance, whose aim is to temporarily accommodate families living in poor conditions. The families entering the program are given guidance to help them to apply for a loan to build a house.

The promotion of literacy is one of the priorities of Caritas Mauritius. The 40 literacy centres around the island welcome some 500 people every year. The night shelter will certainly continue to enable many formerly homeless poeple to have another start in life.