Environmental research

The Centre de Solidarit 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 Solidarit 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.

Mauritius