Mauritius

Mauritius: Protecting Childhood Beyond the Beaches

Explore Mauritius:

Beyond its postcard image lies a quieter reality — where children face school inequality, hidden abuse, and economic struggle. Meet the grassroots champions fighting for their dignity and future.

The Situation for Children in Mauritius

Mauritius is often seen as a paradise — but beneath the surface, many children live through poverty, violence, and educational exclusion. From urban slums to sugar estates, the island’s most vulnerable youth face challenges few tourists ever see. These are the three most urgent issues:

Hidden Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

Many children in low-income neighborhoods experience emotional, physical, or sexual abuse — often in silence. Shame, fear, and cultural taboos prevent them from seeking help.

Education Inequality and Dropout Among Poor and Rural Youth

While education is technically free, private tutoring, transport costs, and unequal school quality leave low-income children — especially in rural and coastal areas — struggling to stay in class.

Poverty and Family Breakdown in Urban Margins

Unemployment, substance abuse, and family fragmentation have led to increased juvenile delinquency, mental health struggles, and neglect — particularly in areas like Roche Bois and Cité La Cure.

Despite these challenges, Mauritius’s children remain full of hope, dreaming of education, health, and opportunities for a better tomorrow.

Key Contributor #1: Centre d’Éducation et de Développement pour Enfants Mauriciens (CEDEM)

Sheltering and Supporting Children Escaping Abuse and Neglect

CEDEM offers emergency housing, psychosocial care, and reintegration services for children who have been abused, abandoned, or exploited. Their shelters are warm, family-style spaces where children receive counseling, education support, and consistent care.

They also run school-based abuse prevention programs and work with authorities to protect children in high-risk communities. For kids who lost trust in adults, CEDEM helps rebuild it — gently and daily.

In a system that often looks away, CEDEM looks closer.

Key Contributor #2: Pédagogie Alternatif et Développement Enfant (PADE)

Fighting Education Inequality Through Inclusive, Child-Centered Learning

PADE works with children who struggle in traditional classrooms — offering remedial education, mentorship, and life skills in underserved neighborhoods. They specialize in helping kids labeled “failures” rediscover learning through play, creativity, and community.

PADE also trains teachers and caregivers to support children with behavioral or learning difficulties without shame or punishment.

Where others see dropouts, PADE sees leaders in the making.

Key Event #1: Voices of Silence Campaign – Port Louis

Breaking the Taboo Around Child Abuse Through Art and Testimony

In 2023, CEDEM organized the Voices of Silence Campaign — an art and storytelling initiative that gave abused and neglected children a platform to speak out safely. Through paintings, poems, and anonymous testimonies, children shared their stories in galleries, schools, and town halls.

The event sparked national conversation and led to new teacher training in abuse recognition and response.

It showed the country what happens when children are allowed to speak — and believed.

Key Event #2: Learning Without Labels Festival – Curepipe

Celebrating Children Left Behind by Traditional Schools

In 2024, PADE hosted the Learning Without Labels Festival, inviting children labeled as “slow” or “difficult” to showcase talents in music, science, and storytelling. Parents and educators joined for workshops on emotional learning and inclusive education methods.

Children beamed as they led performances, built models, and explained projects — many for the first time outside a punishment-based classroom.

The festival rewrote what success looks like — and who gets to define it.

Top Grassroot Nonprofits Across Mauritius