Established in 1998, this non-profit and non-governmental organisation with charitable status helps young people from 16 to 22 who have missed out on education.

Craft Academy is an institution with many ambitions and goals. Its major one is to rehabilitate those people and help them re-integrate society. Secondly, it aims at making its students more employable later by one way or another. It focuses on the use of recycled materials like paper, thread or fabric, sourced from local enterprises. Moreover, it gives its students a certain kind of discipline through non-verbal skills while providing them with a more extensive training through literacy, numeracy and life skills.

For example, those who were not good in mathematics at school are given another opportunity. In fact, they are taught mathematics in a more manual way by using different kind of materials. In other words, they are given literacy through craft skills and design skills. Others produce their own sculptures and paintings to sell. Then some pupils might wish to work in a factory that requires manual skills.

<B>86% employed</B>

Therefore, what the students do at Craft Academy helps them in their future lives. Regarding this issue, over 86% of all students have gone on to become gainfully employed as a result of their training. 82 pupils have graduated out of a total intake of 95. Now, 37% are employed in the work place using their basic confidence skills. 47% have continued with Craft Academy and are full-time small entrepreneurs. 21% are earning a living from craft production. And 6% have been able to continue with more advanced training in other fields such as hairdressing or even teaching. All this is a real success for Craft Academy.

?I am a sculptor. It is a very interesting job. I have been doing it for 12 years now. It has helped me discover many things. And it gives me the opportunity to expose my products in Mauritius and abroad? This is what Jean-Yves L?Onflé, 28 years old, had to say about the Craft Academy. He added that he has gained a lot of experience as well. Whereas Joanna Bégué, 18 years old, who has been a student at Craft Academy for two years, considers she is following a course that she would never have found anywhere else.

<B>Compartments for different needs</B>

Craft Academy is divided into five major compartments. First, the Out of School Youth Project was set up to instigate a creative alternative education through arts and crafts for drop-outs. This concerns mainly CPE failures. Besides, it concerns those who have nothing in life and are only partially literate. On the other hand, it targets the youth on the streets, exposed to scourges such as drug or prostitution.

The other major compartment of Craft Academy is the Small Entrepeneurs Project. After following a one-year course in the Out of School Youth Project, the youngsters are given the chance to create their own small cooperative with the help and support of Craft Academy. They are provided with a working space and the required materials. They work under the supervision of a product coordinator who helps them to develop the right products and to market them. Craft Academy also has a Training of Trainers Project for teachers and trainers from ZEP schools and the special needs NGO primary schools.

The Academy also gives training to inmates in several prisons of the island in response to a request from the prison authorities. They told Craft Academy there was an urgent need for upgrading and improving the conditions in Mauritian prisons.

Finally, Craft Academy has a pottery workshop with 7 employees. This studio was set up some 17 years ago. Its long-term success has opened a door for those who did not have a place in society. It has allowed others to discover their own capabilities. And finally it has a helped others find an occupation.