The First Self-Sustainable Residential Rehabilitation Centre For Women in Substance Abuse and Commercial Sex work
The ?Centre de Solidarité Pour Une Nouvelle Vie? is a Non-Governmental Organisation that has been offering for the last 15 years a safe haven in Rose-Hill for the rehabilitation from and prevention of drug and alcohol abuse. We also run a residential rehabilitation community for male substance abusers in Solitude. We are a very active NGO that acts as a leader in the field of rehabilitation and prevention of Substance Abuse in the Mauritian society and even beyond, notably the propagation of HIV/Aids infection through the injecting drug using population.
Since its official opening in 2001, our Prevention Unit has increased its presence on the field and in so doing noticed the increasing problem of women addiction and its links to commercial sex work. Even more worrying was the new phenomenon of escalating number of secondary school girls initiating in various drugs and at times getting hooked in the sex trade.
A short survey was carried out to obtain details and specificities of the substance abusing female population and what resulted was the project of the first Environmental Friendly Residential Drug Rehabilitation centre for Women called ?Chrysalide. This new project offered an opportunity to improve on our NGO?s experience of drug rehabilitation through community living to one with improved elements of self-sustainable environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Funds were obtained from the European Union Programme, A Nou Diboute Ensam, and the buildings constructed with its colonial style inspired architecture aimed at maximising natural light with a north-facing orientation, numerous openings and an open veranda as well as high coned-shaped roofs. The land obtained on lease from the Diocese of Port-Louis is in Bambous, a dry and hot part of the island thus we provided for constant airflow to reduce passive solar heat through strategically placed wall openings and windowpanes to optimise the free cooling effects of the South East Trade Winds.
The furniture and equipment were obtained through various fund raising activities through the media from the private sector, funding agencies and donators. Half of the running cost being assured by the government (mostly the salaries) we devised plans to target self sufficiency as well as adding up to our image of environmentally friendly project by first minimising the cost of energy consumption through the use of renewable energy equipment in the form of solar powered outdoor lamps, solar water heaters and energy saving bulbs. Second, we project to install a water treatment system to recycle our bath and kitchen wastewater and make use of the gutters to gather rainwater from the roof both for irrigating the garden.
Thus, Chrysalide proposes to be a model in the field of therapeutic communities and social centres in the Indian Ocean region. Based on the Centre de Solidarité?s experience of therapeutic community, we devised a residential programme adapted to the current and future needs of our female residents (and their children), that is a communal lifestyle with basic yet thorough techniques of behavioural changes to help them reintegrate society and sustain an autonomous life. The teachings of such a self-supportive, low cost and work oriented lifestyle requires the setting up of the grounds with simple farming tools and projects, recycling equipment in addition to the supporting staff and experts.
Work therapy is already an essential part of the therapeutic programme of the community. What will be innovative and in accordance with the governmental environmental and social policies is the capacity building through bio-diverse self sustaining activities: the farm training component of the project will include a large vegetable garden, an endemic plants culture, a medicinal garden, poultry farming and a fishpond. The kitchen and the chicken waste produced will be recycled through backyard composting and used in the yard. The women residents and their children will be trained in this way of life respecting the environment and the idea is that they will not only replicate such when they reintegrate society but influence their communities.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs.10,457,595 (U$ 381,855) and the amount requested from the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme is of U$50,000 (1U$=Rs.28.90). The buildings to the tune of Rs 5,000,000 have been constructed and the furnishings and ground set up to the tune of ± Rs 2,000,000 were obtained in-kind or in cash from international and national organisations, private firms and individuals. The yearly running cost of 2.4 millions is assured through governmental subsidies and the rest from private donors.
Since its official opening in 2001, our Prevention Unit has increased its presence on the field and in so doing noticed the increasing problem of women addiction and its links to commercial sex work. Even more worrying was the new phenomenon of escalating number of secondary school girls initiating in various drugs and at times getting hooked in the sex trade.
A short survey was carried out to obtain details and specificities of the substance abusing female population and what resulted was the project of the first Environmental Friendly Residential Drug Rehabilitation centre for Women called ?Chrysalide. This new project offered an opportunity to improve on our NGO?s experience of drug rehabilitation through community living to one with improved elements of self-sustainable environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Funds were obtained from the European Union Programme, A Nou Diboute Ensam, and the buildings constructed with its colonial style inspired architecture aimed at maximising natural light with a north-facing orientation, numerous openings and an open veranda as well as high coned-shaped roofs. The land obtained on lease from the Diocese of Port-Louis is in Bambous, a dry and hot part of the island thus we provided for constant airflow to reduce passive solar heat through strategically placed wall openings and windowpanes to optimise the free cooling effects of the South East Trade Winds.
The furniture and equipment were obtained through various fund raising activities through the media from the private sector, funding agencies and donators. Half of the running cost being assured by the government (mostly the salaries) we devised plans to target self sufficiency as well as adding up to our image of environmentally friendly project by first minimising the cost of energy consumption through the use of renewable energy equipment in the form of solar powered outdoor lamps, solar water heaters and energy saving bulbs. Second, we project to install a water treatment system to recycle our bath and kitchen wastewater and make use of the gutters to gather rainwater from the roof both for irrigating the garden.
Thus, Chrysalide proposes to be a model in the field of therapeutic communities and social centres in the Indian Ocean region. Based on the Centre de Solidarité?s experience of therapeutic community, we devised a residential programme adapted to the current and future needs of our female residents (and their children), that is a communal lifestyle with basic yet thorough techniques of behavioural changes to help them reintegrate society and sustain an autonomous life. The teachings of such a self-supportive, low cost and work oriented lifestyle requires the setting up of the grounds with simple farming tools and projects, recycling equipment in addition to the supporting staff and experts.
Work therapy is already an essential part of the therapeutic programme of the community. What will be innovative and in accordance with the governmental environmental and social policies is the capacity building through bio-diverse self sustaining activities: the farm training component of the project will include a large vegetable garden, an endemic plants culture, a medicinal garden, poultry farming and a fishpond. The kitchen and the chicken waste produced will be recycled through backyard composting and used in the yard. The women residents and their children will be trained in this way of life respecting the environment and the idea is that they will not only replicate such when they reintegrate society but influence their communities.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs.10,457,595 (U$ 381,855) and the amount requested from the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme is of U$50,000 (1U$=Rs.28.90). The buildings to the tune of Rs 5,000,000 have been constructed and the furnishings and ground set up to the tune of ± Rs 2,000,000 were obtained in-kind or in cash from international and national organisations, private firms and individuals. The yearly running cost of 2.4 millions is assured through governmental subsidies and the rest from private donors.
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Project Snapshot
Grantee:
CENTRE de SOLIDARITE pour une NOUVELLE VIE
Country:
Mauritius
Area Of Work:
Climate Change Mitigation
Grant Amount:
US$ 50,000.00
Co-Financing Cash:
US$ 306,323.00
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 98,522.00
Project Number:
MAR/05/01
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
Project Characteristics and Results
Notable Community Participation
(i) Project planning and design
The stakeholders of the Chrysalide project have so far been indirectly involved in the setting up of the buildings and it could not have been done differently because of the inherent difficulties related to drug addiction. The women earmarked to be the first residents were however, weekly informed of the building and negotiations for the running of Chrysalide. This was done by the now officer in charge of Chrysalide who each week went to the Jardin de la Companie for group therapy with them since December 2003. However, the group of persons who voluntarily joined the Chrysalide taskforce for the design and set up of the project included ex-substance abusers, ex-prisoners and on the field women who had direct daily contact with the targeted group.
The first phase of the project that comprised of the building and furnishing of the residence had to be done according to the rules and regulations of ANDE as set by the European Union. For practical reasons the committees where comprised mostly of people working closely with the Centre de Solidarité as they were more readily available for meetings, etc.
The design and initial planning of the self-sustainable elements of the residential project was done mostly by the Director of CDS in consultation with numerous experts in the fields of environment as well as with the management team of both residential centres.
(ii) The implementation of the first phase of the project was done by a contractor supervised by a volunteer engineer and architect. The taskforce took care of all the requests and follow ups for the small and large equipment/furniture donations while the management and accountant of CDS followed up the smooth running of the workplan. Halfway through the implementation phase the Chrysalide staff was recruited for therapeutic training and they took other for the setting up of the equipment and furniture items.
The implementation of the second phase described in length above will involve much more the Chrysalide residents and staff as they will be in charge of supervising, guiding, helping and eventually following up on all the projects in place. As they are the ones in contact with the Bambous community, they will also recruit and put to work the volunteers for the various project set up.
The network of contacts formed nationwide around the Chrysalide development is equally crucial to the realization of the self-sustainability of the therapeutic community and afterwards of the individual households to be formed. Indeed, they will provide the markets for our products as well as the trainers for the various skills to be taught to the women. By giving the feedback, verbal or other, the supporting public will also contribute to the programme?s impact and effectiveness.
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(iii) The officer in charge will monitor all activities on site while the CDS management will direct the process to its completion. in monitoring and evaluation project effectiveness and impact.
Note that community participation means much more than how the community will benefit from the project. It refers to active involvement and ownership by an appropriate spectrum of people. You should describe the specific steps that you are taking or planning to take to maximize this involvement.
Inovative Financial Mechanisms
Important donors. SGP funding amounts to only 10% of the overall funding.
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Partnership |
| European Union, Ministry of Women, Diocese of Port Louis, Forces Vives de Bambous, Volunteers of the Centre de Solidarite, Women network of Chrysalide, Nextep Workshop Team, CDS Management, Chrysalide Staff, Rotary Club/Transinvest, 2 Private Donors, |
SGP Country office contact
Mrs. Pamela Bapoo-Dundoo
Phone:
(230) 213 53 84
Fax:
(230) 212 14 11
Email:
Address
2nd Floor, Sugar Industry Pension Fund Building, 1 Remy Ollier Street
Port Louis, Mauritius
Port Louis, Mauritius
Country Website
Visit the Mauritius Country Page