During the month of November 2000 the SPES Hi-tec and Design Unit was fortunate to be presented with some computerized equipment by H.E. Mark Erwin (on left), under the US Ambassador’s Self-Help Funding Scheme. It was a memorable event as we were also encouraged by the presence of Honourable Anil Gayan, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Regional Cooperation, seeing that SPES engages in SMEs promotion, in the African Region with WCC (World Crafts Council) and also with SEPAC (Small Enterprise Promotion Advisory Council) of SADC.

Already the new hi-tec equipment has proved very useful for our innovative Multi-literacy project, which SPES is extending to Burkina Faso and Mozambique.

Héliette Delaître, the President of the “Jacques Cantin Talking Book Association” (Audio Library situated at Beau Bassin, at the Louis Lagesse Centre for blind and visually impaired people), kindly prepared and glued plastic braille letters next to touch-type keys on the control panel of a microwave, as SPES was asked by a group of young girls and boys with visual problems to teach them Microwave Baking Skills. Sponsoring is being sought for their future enterprise for making Health cakes for sale in a school canteen. We hope this creative SME initiative can inspire others.

Our SPES Team of Teacher and Assessor Trainers are delighted to have completed in mid December their C&G Evidence Portfolios depicting their new competencies. Our Guest of Honour to the private display of the SPES team’s portfolios was the Honourable Sangeet Fowdar, Minister of Training, Skills Development and Productivity, who was accompanied by his Advisor, Mr. Vencatasamy. Mr. Seegoolam (on the right of bauble), Assistant Manager and Registrar of IVTB also attended our demonstration of the latest ICT advancements of the SPES Hi-tec Design Unit. The UK Tutor, Ms. Frances Gibson, also took part in the interesting discussions concerning the rapid implementation of the SPES Multi-literacy project, mainly for the upliftment of illiterate Youth in, dire, need of learning lifelong skills to attain self-reliance.

To mark this festive occasion, SPES produced a Virtual Calendar for all our internaut friends to printout. Do show your spirit of creativity and enterprise and substitute our dodo picture by an eco-design or photo of your choice to share with other SMEs friends.