President's speech
Address by the President of the Republic
on the occasion of the Official Launching
of the Ranger Foundation Trust
Saturday 12 July 2008 at 1900 hrs
Maritim Hotel, Balaclava
The Hon. Minister of Education and Human Resources
The President of MACOSS
Chairman, National Council for the Rehabilitation of Handicapped Persons
Mr Lance Ranger, Founder of the Ranger Foundation Trust
Miss Adel Sopronyi
Mrs Ruma Kissoondharry, Director of Curatus
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for the warm welcome extended to me and my wife. We are indeed pleased to be in your midst this afternoon on the occasion of the launching of the Ranger Foundation Trust.
Thank you Mr Lance Ranger for having taken such a good initiative to dedicate much of your time to humanitarian and philanthropic causes. You should be proud today to see the realisation of a dream you had long cherished.
It is good to remind that the Ranger Foundation Trust is a non-profit charitable institution aimed at improving the quality of life of the physically impaired children and young adults through Conductive Education. The Trust’s motto: “Every child matters” reflects the interest of the organisation to cater for every child.
Conductive Education, I am informed, is an art of therapy which helps the physically impaired but mentally capable children to control their movement difficulties. By so doing, these children can maximise their potential and lead a fulfilled life, as independently as possible. The trust is of the view that these children should be given the opportunity to receive education, not as a privilege but as a right.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I note that with a view to offering access to education to children with special needs, you have hired the services of experienced professionals from abroad. Qualified teachers and therapists will thus help the Trust to achieve its objectives of making “Every child matters” become a reality, and with this the right of every Mauritian child for access to education will become true.
The medium used is a holistic, movement based education system, carried out in a children-friendly atmosphere, motivates the children to give the maximum of themselves and thus participate fully in all the exercises. I am confident that the Trust will attain its objective and thus offer a better tomorrow to these children. Yesnee, Kenzo and Jean Alain are examples of perseverance and are proof of the Conductive Education System which is showing its results.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Disability should not be a reason for these children to be left on their own. Mauritius has achieved a lot in terms of economic progress and prosperity. Yet we need people like Mr Lance Ranger, Mrs Runa Kissoondharry and their team to give a better quality of life to our less fortunate children. The very gesture of extending a helping hand to the needy is an honourable exercise. This quality is not given to all. One must be inspired from deep within. I consider that doing social work is an inborn characteristic. We must all recognise the good work done by our social workers, as it demands lot of sacrifice, both in terms of time and resources. In this material world and in these days of expensiveness the Government and the private sector should work hand in hand to remove those who are in dire need, out of the pangs of poverty.
I have always said that nation building is the responsibility of each and every one of us. We should put in our contribution however minimal be it. It is only through social cohesion and brotherhood that we will gain the battle of exclusion and poverty.
The Government has done a lot for the social integration of physically handicapped people. I must also mention the important role played by certain NGO’s in this sector, and here we are in the presence of a private initiative and a concrete example where the private sector is responding to its corporate and social responsibility call.
Before ending, I would like once more to congratulate Mr. Lance Ranger and his team for this laudable initiative for the care of Mauritian children. My wife joins me to wish you good luck in all your future undertakings. May you succeed for the benefit of an even greater number of children.
I thank you for your attention.
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