History

The seed that gave birth to Lizie Dan La Main was sown 35 years ago in 1981. That came about when a small group of friends, all suffering from a visual handicap, decided to meet regularly to help each other face the hardships of life. Under the leadership of Mr. Reynolds Permal, who was the initiator of the project, they started to collect musical instruments and eventually managed to form a band. The idea was to use music as the media to defend the cause of the visually impaired. Through a series of concerts across the island, the group conveyed the message that the visually impaired needed love and not pity.

With the proceeds of the concerts in hand, the group realized their potential and decided that they needed to become more organized. That is how Lizie Dan La Main was born. Since 1981 to this date, Lizie Dan La Main has stood up to its pledge to fight for the welfare of the visually impaired. The emphasis has been on the integration of the visually impaired in our society so that the visually impaired does not suffer from any form of discrimination.

In the early days, due to lack of premises, meetings were held out in the open under trees or at the home of on of the members. In 1989, the “paroisse of St Jean” kindly offered the use of part of their hall in Quatre Bornes. That was a memorable milestone in the development of Lizie Dan La Main. Another milestone was the creation of the first educational unit. In 1995 the then Minister of Education, Honorable Parsuramen, inaugurated a unit for the visually impaired in a normal school at the Government primary school of Moka. This was a premiere in the history of Mauritius and fell in line with the integration policy of Lizie Dan La Main. Due to the rapidly increasing demand to join the center, another unit was subsequently created at Belle Rose. A hall was hired at the Belle Rose convent and a unit to teach rattan ware and basket weaving was set up there.

Eventually, with the help of the parish of St Jean, more room was made available at St Jean and the decision was taken to move the unit at Belle Rose to St Jean so that everything was under one roof. Besides the education unit at Moka Government school, classes were set up at St Jean for children with special needs i.e. needing Braille. The classes at primary level were set up on a daily basis as with normal schooling and the children were then integrated in a normal school at secondary level. For adults, classes of basket weaving and carpentry were set up. Music and sports were offered as recreational activities. The members took these activities so much at heart that a band was set up. This band is still highly popular at tourist hotels and functions all over the island. In sports, Lizie Dan La Main has built a strong reputation in all disciplines and the numerous medals, cups and trophies displayed at the center bear witness to this.

May 2000 saw a major development in the history of Lizie Dan La Main. Due to the relentless efforts of its leaders, the association was granted a plot of land by the government for the construction of its premises. Through a series of fund-raising activities and the help of the European Union, the first phase of the construction project has already been completed. The first phase, which is housed on the ground floor, consists of a polyvalent center, a reception hall, toilets, offices, a library, music and audio recording studio, a computer room and a kitchen. All the rooms are well equipped and fully functional. This would mot have been possible without the help of the Government, other NGO’s, various embassies and private firms and individuals who have helped financially. It is definitely a dream come true for all the members of Lizie Dan La Main and they are already tackling the second phase of the project. The second phase will involve the construction of offices and dormitories on the first floor. The kitchen on the ground floor and the dormitories on the first floor will help provide the visually impaired first hand training in how to manage on their own.

Lizie Dan La Main offers its services to all visually impaired persons in the Indian Ocean. The Association has certainly come a long way in twenty five years, but is still strongly committed to keep moving forward in its fight for the welfare of the visually impaired.

Now after 35 years of existence, the mode of operation of Lizie Dan La Main has evolved and it has launch an ''Academy of the Blind".