It seems fitting on the 37th year of our free vocational skills training, in diverse fields, for the benefit of the needy at grassroots level, that non-profit NGO SPES re-states its initial objectives which are still as follows:
- local handicrafts
- specialized cottage industries
- the social welfare of Mauritian artists and artisans
Thus, for SPES – la Société pour la Promotion des Entreprises Spécialisées – our cultural and socio-economic duty is to evolve and promote the most appropriate and cost-effective traditional and modern skills to face the competitive marketing problems of our e-generation challenging era.
ICT Research Advancements
Inspite of our constant financial struggle to create and produce Art & Crafts and carrying out continuous training to keep up High Quality work, our leading Hi-tec-oriented Team felt greatly honoured that SPES was able to participate, as an Associate Research Centre, at the fantastic UNESCO and WorldSpace Satellites Pilot Research Project on Testing of their CLASS (Combined Live Audio and Slide Show) system – during February and March 2004. It was a very enriching experience connecting 3 continents and 30 telecentres equipped with new e-tools, hardware and software for satellite radios and computers.
As a result NGO SPES proceeded to develop some datacast using this new CLASS system and thanks to the collaboration of WorldSpace Satellites/Toulouse was able to test its diffusion simultaneously between 2 Mauritian Centres: The SPES Vocational & Multimedia Centre in Quatre Bornes (Q.B) and the Ministry of Youth & Sports Centre situated at Floreal a few miles away.
A specialized SPES vocational New Training Skills Teacher Trainer monitored from the SPES Q.B. Centre the CLASS system computer slides projection and acted as speaker controlling the two separate groups vocational activity which consisted in a lesson on how to operate a microwave for healthy food cooking using (less fat & less guar) and also how to prepare and cook a Pawpaw fruit recipe.
The 61 children participants (aged 9 – 15) and the Q.B. group were very attentive seen in both series of virtual photos and enjoyed tasting the Pawpaw dessert a few minutes later in their respective centres. The children were very stimulated by this joint communication and interactivity and network activity facility.
Furthermore they also took turns at a hands-on hour experience on computers “playing” sports, such as football and underwater fish games to encourage a healthy liking for dynamic sports.
Before they left for home each one carrying a Pawpaw plant, a few asked if they could attend our Newways of teaching of the SPES “Zaco Sky Skool”. We had to tell them ufortunately we had no money but promised that we would organize an OPEN DAY in June for public awareness of our cost-effective vocational multi-literacy interactive project.
Let us hope their little voices can be heard for the global benefit of all children not only in the Mauritian Islands but in all sunny areas of the World seeing that SPES uses mobile solar panels to bridge the Digital Gaps.
A highlight of this Saturday 17th April 2004 at the Mangalkhan Centre was the presentation of a computer by the Vocational Team of the Rotary Club of Curepipe. After refreshments all the children were given Pawpaw plants they proudly took home.
To be noted that the children were also fascinated wiith the mobile solar panels SPES had integrated to the teaching methods and that the crafted products made by our SPES mastercraftspeople who stimulated by the new ICT advancements actually invented a way of extracting a beautiful fibre from the pawpaw plant, a new addition for our SPES Database of Recycled Mauritian Fibres we use for our crafted eco-products.
We make an appeal for funding consideration of the SPES holistic approach for the sustainable development for poverty elimination through the Bridging of the Digital Gap amongst the new illiterate adolescents at risk as well as the thousands of newly jobless adults.
