"It's easy to do good with the help of others"

Hermann Gmeiner, founder of SOS Children's Villages

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Through our Vocational Educational and Training Centre (VET) our children acquire different basic technical knowledge in and interest in local trades like painting and electricity.

This training programme provides initiation to VET to needy adolescents, and it takes into consideration their individual differences and developmental needs.  The curriculum is part of  the National Trade Certificate (NTC) Foundation course run by the MITD in Mauritius.  Adolescents having completed the programme are encouraged to register for training offered by the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development.

The programme is designed for adolescents above 12 years old. The participants may be full time school-going or out of school adolescents who need an exposure to basic VET. The targeted participants include adolescents of our SOS Children’s Villages and the FSP. External participants may be referred to SOS by the social workers, schools and NGOs.

Small groups of around five participants attend the training programme at the training facility at SOS Children’s Villages Bambous. The training programme may also be run outside the facility to reach out for needy children. In order to motivate the participants to regularly attend the programme they are offered a motivation reward, which may be cash or non- cash.

Programme Goals

The programme aims to

1.      Initiate adolescents in VET and trades

2.      Impart basic knowledge, interest and skills in local trades

3.      Cater for developmental needs of adolescents - self-esteem, creativity

Specific Objectives of the Programme

By the end of the training programme the participants are expected to:

1.      Identify simple tools and equipment commonly used in the trades

2.      Name different types and properties of materials

3.      Use basic hand tools and equipment in the execution of simple tasks relating to the trade

4. State and apply safety measures and precautions

Programme Content and Structure

It consists of some theories, and much practical sessions as well as field visits. The training is competency-based. Each session is of a maximum of one and a half hour. The theoretical part is delivered in creole (the language). The practical part is to develop the participants’ skills in the handling of basic tools, equipment and materials. Participants will carry out simple projects. Field visits aim at motivating them and consolidating the learning by exposure to real work situations.

The current modules are:

1.      Wood work

2.      Painting

3.      Electrical installation

4.      Basic electronic

Specificity of the Programme

Unlike traditional training, our VET is non-formal and flexible to adapt to participants ability and individual needs. SOS social workers assist them to have the psychological, emotional, material and other resources they need to belief in their potential and get the desired attitude to complete the training.

Key Staff: Jefferson Manal

Contact Details

Address: 3, G. Ythier Street

              Mare Gravier

              Beau Bassin

Phone no :( 230) 464 8379

Fax:        (230) 466 9871

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"I wish and I hope that our children can live together without war and  without hatred, that they have a home and can grow into a future that is  characterised by support, respect and mutual understanding"   

Helmut Kutin, President of SOS-Kinderdorf International

Introduced in 2004, the Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) focuses on prevention and therefore, it complements the SOS Children’s Villages programme. The FSP addresses the root causes of child neglect and abandonment by empowering families to properly care after their children.

The FSP adopts an integrated approach in supporting vulnerable children, empowering their families and their localities in order to create a caring family environment.  Our focus is on children who are at risk of abandonment or whose rights are not being respected or adequately fulfilled.

As at December 2010, some 787 children and 481 parents or relatives of there children are receiving direct support from the programme, mainly in various disadvantaged localities also termed “pockets of poverty” in Mauritius. These localities include regions of Bambous, Cité  Mangalkhan, Cité Anoska, Cite L’oiseaux, Cité Labrasserie, Cité Joachim, Cité Atlee, Camp Tickfine, and Glen Park.

The following risks factors constitute the main key criteria to receive FSP support:

• Absolute poverty (poor housing, lack of food etc.)
• Mother-headed and teenage mother-headed families
• Inadequate income  to meet basic needs
• Out-of-school, school failure and absenteeism for children
• Child neglect and abuse
• No access to support services
• Domestic violence

Contact Details:

Address: Princess Guinea

Geoffroy Road, Bambous

Phone no: (230) 452 1908

Fax: (230) 452 2703

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