Grand Port DC COE Institutional Profile

“Grand Port District Council is a model on gender and is setting the pace for other localities.”

Key characteristics

Grand Port is full of history with the first Dutch disembarking in Grand Port. The District still has the ruins of the first Dutch fortification and a historic museum. The Mahebourg fishing village is built on Grand Port Bay. The District is also close to the airport. Grand Port is the Southernmost district of Mauritius, stretching westwards from the sugar-growing village of Savannah along a coast that is the island’s most rugged. Cane fields interspersed with fishing villages dominate the coast, while the interior around Grand Bois is tea-growing country. The south of Mauritius is wild and undeveloped, a dramatic sweep of empty beaches and treacherous cliffs. A big district with the most beautiful lagoon. Known for sandy beach and windsurfing and yachting and other sea activities. The area is also known for its tea plantation.

Although Grand Port was a Centre of Excellence having done all the workshops and developed an Action Plan, they did not participate in the 2012 Summit. As soon as Gender Links contacted them after the Summit, they immediate agreed to send the Action Plan to Council and a Steering Committee was set up.

Since the Action Plan was approved by Council, the Grand Port District Council has grown into a gender sensitive locality which is indeed a model for all localities of Mauritius.

A budget of Rs.75,000 was earmarked for gender when the Action Plan was approved. There are 50% mala and 50% female on the steering Committee with a Gender Champion. The Action Plan is being implemented and the Council received a Driver of Change Certificate at a Mock Council Meeting that the Council decided to organise.

There is a budget for Gender Links for the 16 days campaign. The Librarian of the Council participated in cyber-dialogue training and participated in the 16 days campaign on the GBV indicators.

The Mock Council Meeting was a follow up of a workshop facilitated by Gender Links on Women in politics. The Council wanted to make sure that women trained will have the knowledge, techniques and skills to sit at Council table and participate in Council meetings.
Quite a few of the participants have been elected at the local elections of December 2012. Before the December elections there were no women on the Council and there are now three women on the Council and one of them received training from Gender Links to develop the Action Plan as well as Women in Politics training.

Although quite a few localities of Mauritius have a section on Gender Links in their Libraries, the one for Grand Port was the first one to have GL books and it is quite impression with a separate section on Gender Links. The Library was officially opened when Colleen Lowe Morna, Chief Executive Officer of Gender Links came to Mauritius in October 2012.

Women are also in non-traditional posts, e.g. There are quite a few in non-traditional posts. e.g. Safety and Health Officer, Planning and Assistant Chief Executives who are in charge of the running of village councils.

The Acting Chief Executive of Grand Port, Mamta Coonjan Jugroop said that she never thought that she herself would have changed so much since her first encounter with Gender Links in 2007.

“I first met Loga Virahsawmy in 2007 at the Moka Flacq District Council meeting at workshop. There she explained to me about the work of Gender links, even giving me all details, books, CDs and organizational pamphlets. Then I instantaneously develop a keen interest to persuade women at the grass root level to become leader and Councillors as at that time we had few women non at the District Council level. Since then, meeting with gender links have been abundant with the Council and several workshops and training have been organized both at District Council level and village Council level.

Before encountering the Gender Links I thought that Gender regards women only. The men at Council level viewed women as second class citizen. I had the task the outlook and perception towards women. It was very difficult for me alone to do that. In fact it was the Gender Links who gave the support and required resources to make it possible to introduce a mentality change and attitudes among people at the grass root level.

Women were in fact viewed by men as housewife incapable of decision making and incompetent. Moreover, when we organized a mock council to let the men know that women are equally capable of the counter parts. After including both men and women councillors at a workshop organized by the Gender Links that the men realized that women are more able and capable to deliver and in general are more intelligent than the male counterpart. “

The Lanching of the Annual Barometer 2014 was also done at the Grand Port District Council where Colleen Lowe Morna, Chief Executive Officer of Gender Links was also present. Representatives of all Councils was present at the launching ceremony and the CEO had the opportunity to meet all of me round the table to explain to them the important role that Centres of Excellence have in mainstreaming gender. The Councils equally shared their best practises and the meeting was followed by a site visit within the District.

A Residential Study Workshop was effectuated by GL from 19-20 November 2014 at the Holiday Inn Hotel which showed the participation of almost all Councils and during the same time, the Chief Executive of Grand Port, Mr Shyam Teeluck shared his experience with GL as the Winner of the CEO Summit Award 2014 and encouraged other councils to participate as well.