For Djemillah, altruism is in the genes! Her grandmother, her mother, her father… have dedicated their lives to supporting, educating and rehabilitating needy young people. At the age of 18, with a lifelong passion for writing, Djemillah left a school system that didn’t suit her (the height of a family of teachers) to follow her dreams. From opportunities to encounters, she joined the Top FM radio station, then the MBC group. A field journalist for 14 years, this mother has never wavered from her charitable and activist commitment to women, whom she encourages to “follow their own path in this formatted world, to listen to themselves and not to others, to r ester different and authentic”.
To tackle menstrual poverty in Mauritius, The Ripple Project was created in 2016, to provide hygiene packs. Relying mainly on social networks, the ricochets (ripples) undulate so fast that Djemillah measures the absolute necessity – in addition to collecting and distributing – of raising awareness! “There are so many taboos around menstrual hygiene and precariousness that nobody asks questions, helps or responds!”
To the notions of equity, safety, respect for dignity… must be added essential education and training. Workshops and games free people to speak out, while testimonials and questions demystify the issues. While Djemillah is well aware of the socio-economic and psychological support that RP provides to its beneficiaries, “the real solution would be to get them out of this dependence on associations, of course”.
The recent EMA mobile application is a mine of practical information about menstrual health, delivered without taboos to the entire Mauritian population.
Tel: 5802 6089
