Workshop for Primary School Children
Lekol Enba Pie in collaboration with NGO Service d’Accompagnement, de Formation, d’Insertion et de Rehabilitation de L’Enfant (SAFIRE) organized a workshop on the importance of attending school regularly for some fifty 50 Primary School Children of Caroline, village situated in Bel Air Riviere Sêche. The children participated actively in all the activities, enjoyed the Muppet show which explained how what we learn in school help us to achieve our dreams. LEP also taught them basic values. All the children were given a pack lunch and school materials.
Noël à Lizie Dan La Main
Le 28 novembre 2023, Lekol Enba Pie (LEP) a célébré Noël à Lizie Dan La Main (LDLM), une ONG qui milite pour le bien-être des malvoyants et des non-voyants. C’était la première activité post-covid de LEP.Après l’accueil chaleureux et le discours de bienvenue de Mme Floriane Poché, Assistante Directrice de LDLM, Mme Jeya Appavou, Présidente de LEP a adressé l’assistance pour expliquer la raison d’être de LEP, son logo et son objectif phare qui est de « Vivre et faire vivre les valeurs humaines ».
Pour bien comprendre l’esprit de Noël, les participants furent divisés en plusieurs groupes portant les noms Cloche, Ange, Lutin. Les enfants de Lizie dans la Main (8-19 ans), les membres de LEP et les autres personnes présentes (adolescents, jeunes et moins jeunes) apprirent ainsi à se connaître à travers des jeux. Toute l’assistance a pris conscience que toute personne, malgré un handicap, a des passions et des rêves avec une possibilité de développement personnel. Par exemple, ce petit garçon qui est fasciné par les montres et cette petite fille de 8 ans qui souhaite devenir une star afin de chanter et danser sur scène !
Après les jeux, ce fut la récitation de poèmes dont un en langue créole sur Noël. Pendant la lecture du poème « Un ami » de Pierre Lanarès, tout le monde a fermé les yeux pour se mettre dans la peau d’un non-voyant/malvoyant. C’était un moment inoubliable qui nous a fait comprendre combien nous sommes chanceux de voir et de vivre pleinement la vie.
Pour terminer cette matinée réjouissante, un déjeuner fut offert aux enfants et au personnel de LDLM. Monsieur Reynolds Permal MSK., Directeur de LDLM, prit la Parole pour exprimer sa joie et son souhait de revoir LEP dans son école.
L’activité avec les enfants de LDLM a été très enrichissante pour tous les participants. Ce partage nous rappelle que le principe de Noël est non seulement d’offrir et de recevoir des cadeaux, mais aussi de consacrer du temps et de donner de l’amour aux autres. Tous les objectifs de LEP pour cette activité furent atteints.
Ecrit par : Jeremy Chan Sin Cheong
Santa Claus at Foyer Monseigneur Leen
The Christmas spirit was alive and vibrant last December at Foyer Monseigneur Leen, Rose Hill, thanks to Lekol Enba Pie (LEP) Youth Team who organised a heart-warming Christmas celebration with the collaboration of Service Volontaire International (SVI). Embracing our mission ‘working towards the well-being of one another through human values’, the event gave a testimony of generosity, caring and joy.
After the welcoming speech of Sister Danielle from the Foyer followed by a few words from the Presidents of LEP and SVI respectively, members of both organisations formed groups with the girls from Foyer Monseigneur Leen. The different groups had the opportunity to establish contact and to become friends
LEP members then gave an uplifting live concert, singing both the Christmas classics such as ‘Mary did you know’, ‘Hallelujah’ and other heart-warming songs like ‘La même’ and ‘L’important c’est d’aimer’, which greatly moved the audience.
The day was also filled with joy and laughter as our team organized dynamic funny games to wake up the competitive spirit of participants like the donkey and mime games.
The talented girls performed a beautiful dance just before the visit of Santa Claus, who handed over nice gifts to all of them.
While this day was filled with laughter, love and wonderful memories, LEP members remained true to their motto ‘value-based living’, exemplifying it by sharing love and kindness around them. Young LEP members were able to develop their leadership skills and teamwork while at the same time strengthening their friendship bond.
As the celebrations came to an end, the spirit of love and sharing marked our hearts and memory, ending the year 2023 on a magical note. This celebration embodied the purpose of the festive season: to come together, spread joy, and bring a positive impact in the life of others.
Written by: Chloë Duval Latreille
Sharing of Chinese Culture
On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, celebrated this year on 10 February 2024, LEP youth group led by Jeremy Chan, organized a mini-show on 17 February 2024 to help members understand Chinese Culture.
The show started with music inviting the Chinese Lion which actually made its appearance and wandered among the overjoyed spectators. They stroked its head to bring in good luck for the new year ahead.
Then the sketch of the Chinese zodiac was presented by using puppets to represent the zodiac animals. The sketch included background music and sounds, which made the presentation very lively and interesting. We all learned about the animals in the Chinese zodiac, their ranks as well as the story behind the creation of the signs. Boards displaying the zodiac animals and the years were placed in the room for consultation. Members were thus able to learn more about their Chinese horoscope.
The Chinese Zodiac was followed by a melodious Chinese song.
Overall, it was an enriching show, with a good script and nice presentation.
This activity which required a lot of practice had members meeting several times weekly. These regular meetings enabled the youth group to get to know each other better, to bond as a team and to present a good show while at the same time, developing their public speaking skills and creativity.
The day ended with a wholesome song ‘One love’ and the guests were offered some Chinese cakes : ‘gateau la cire’, ‘gateau gingeli’, ‘gateaux cravattes’ and ‘chipek’.
Everyone had a great time.
Written by: Alexandra Leung Dat Wan
Outing 13 April 2024
Who we are and what we can become can only be answered if we know who we were. What better ways of discovering our history than a trip down the ancestral path? This is exactly what Lekol Enba Pie (LEP) did on Saturday 13 April 2024 by organizing a guided visit for its members and their respective family to Intercontinental Slavery Museum of Port Louis.
The museum was an ex Labourdonnais military hospital, constructed by slaves in 1740. The construction material was a mixture of nutmeg shells, molasses and corals that formed a cement-like paste. It especially acts as an insect repellent and keeps the buildings cool under the scorching heat of the capital.
The guided tour gave us a clearer notion of the legacy of our ancestors. For example, the common practice of ‘Faire passe’ was brought to Mauritius by the slaves from Madagascar while our mother tongue ‘Kreol’ was born out of an attempt of the slaves to communicate with their French masters.
Contrary to what we may assume, the sequels of slavery infiltrate modern life. It influences our traditions like wearing new clothes for New Year,
and our culture such as the ‘Rasta’ lifestyle. Our history still impacts our present very much. The recent discovery of artifacts at Albion rekindles our curiosity in our history. Hearing about the fight that the maroon slaves had put up for their freedom, inspires the young members of LEP to follow the examples of such courageous ancestors.
After a few words of gratitude to our guide, we drove to ‘Bassin des Esclaves’ found a few metres from the SSR Botanical Garden in Pamplemousses. The ‘Bassin des Esclaves’ is another vestige of the by-gone days as it is there that the slaves were given a bath before being auctioned. At the entrance there are two statues of slaves whose postures represent “zot fer esklav kourb latet”. It was a humbling experience. To realise the freedom we now have, whilst our ancestors were treated and sold as objects, gratitude poured out.
The day ended on the golden sand of Mont Choisy beach with lunch and some team building activities.
It was a day filled with awe, curiosity but also fun. Yet, one takeaway from this day was that we got to discover our past and a bit of ourselves.
After all, understanding our roots is the only way to deepen them.
Written by: Saivee Mudalli
Residential Workshop for Secondary School Leavers at Le Thabor in April 2024: “Be Prepared to face the Challenges”
To leave the secure compounds of school life, to encounter the ruthless world, can be scary if one is not prepared.
The residential workshop from 19 to 21 April 2024 was indeed the stepping stone, from student life to adult life, prepared to help us, the sixteen participants, to face the challenges awaiting us in a hectic world while at the same time train us to be responsible.
The venue, Le Thabor, was the ideal place for such a workshop – serene and peaceful with beautiful, immense lawns and gardens everywhere, conducive to meditating, self reflection and learning. Ideal also for the various outdoor activities and interesting educational games organized for us by the five residential facilitators.
On Friday afternoon, we all gathered in the conference room where we were divided into four teams. Each team had to come up with a name, a flag and a caller tune. After dinner, the first programme, led by two founder members of LEP, began with an initiation to group meditation, self searching and understanding ourselves. The resource persons led us to understand how our expectations condition our behaviour and finally we were requested to write a letter to ourselves. Many of us had the revealing notion that we could be our own best friend.
The second day started with some early morning games followed by a session with an Energy Therapist who, after some deep breathing exercises and a short meditation, spoke to us about importance of self care and wellbeing, both physical and mental. We also learnt how to find the point of balance within ourselves. Very interesting session for all.
Next was our Finance Management session – a Bank Manager taught us how to manage our money efficiently, how to prepare a budget and stick to it. To facilitate our task, he even recommended apps which will help us in our budget management. A Meta Coach then intervened to explain Time Management which is essential in today’s hectic world where there are so many distractions.
As time is limited, we all have to make the most of whatever time is available to us and avoid procrastination at all costs. He shared some tips on how to achieve this.
Finally, a woman Constable from Police Cyber Crime Unit, started her session on Dangers of the Internet. Immediately we all became very attentive and receptive. There ensued lively discussions about real life cases of cybercrimes and we were given advice on proper use of internet post . The discussions were very interesting, lively, informative and clearly demonstrated how vulnerable we are on the net. The impact was immediate: many of us pulled out our phones to privatise our social media accounts or to delete posts now deemed inappropriate.
Our final day at Le Thabor started with a Treasure Hunt under heavy rain – and mind boggling it was! We enjoyed the rain until the treasure was found! Afterwards our last session was with a Psychotherapist who spoke about his personal experience of studying in a foreign – new environment, homesickness, loneliness, communication problems! He gave us coping mechanisms on how to deal with homesickness, how to make new friends and thrive in a foreign land, which was very well appreciated by those preparing for overseas studies.
Last but not least, a word about the food we had during the weekend. Prepared and served by outside caterers, the food was good, both in quality and portion.
The workshop ended with an award of certificates and prize ceremony. Each one of us received an Attendance Certificate and prizes were awarded to those who won the various games organized during the weekend.
All of us left Le Thabor less timid, more self-confident, wiser, more responsible, more conscious of the challenges awaiting us and better equipped to deal with them. And happy to have made new friends!
Thank you, Lekol Enba Pie!
Written by: Saivee Mudalli and Chloé Soockeea
Team Building Workshop for Managing Committee Members
On 14 May 2024, Managing Committee (MC) of Lekol Enba Pie held its monthly meeting at Le Thabor, Beau Bassin.
The meeting was followed by a work session on Team Building for MC members, facilitated by one of LEP’s founder member, Mr Dume Duval.
However, before the session with the facilitator started, we had some outdoor activities among ourselves in the peaceful gardens of Le Thabor, together we signed our name in the air, we played the E-game which shows how meaning/interpretation of the same thing differs according to one’s perspective.
The facilitator started his session by distributing a small green leaf to all members – the leaf was of different sizes and forms .Each one had to observe the leaf and voice out what he/she could see.
We were then seated facing each other in a ‘moving’ circle called ‘carousel’: each one of us had to tell the person opposite what value is most important for him/her and explain the reasons. Once a member has finished, she/he moved on to the next seat in the same row facing another member and the exercise continued until all of us have discussed our most important values amongst ourselves.
After this ‘carousel conversation’, we were requested to repeat the exercise in writing on the paper provided, and this time we had to choose two values which we consider most important. We had to pin it on the board and explain to everyone the meaning of the values chosen and the reason/s we consider them as most important. Other values not mentioned by us like tolerance, forgiveness, generosity, courtesy, fraternity, amongst others, were also discussed. These interesting exercises showed that Respect and Honesty/Integrity came first followed by love.
The timing of this session was considered perfect by members as it proved to be a very enriching experience for all. The positive personal and group interactions enabled members to get to know each other better. It also highlighted the co-operation, the unity and the fact that all members share similar concepts on human values.
Thus, it will be easier for us at LEP, to continue our mission of living and making others, including our members, both existing and new, live values.
Written by: Jeyalutchmee Appavou
