54 C I M F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S L T D C O R P O R A T E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y Cité CIM His right-handman, Gaëtan Sans-Souci, is a respected member of Cité CIM. « Li poz blok kouma enn artis. Mo pe apprann boukou ar k li, so sistem travay, fason li tiek nivo... » Gaëtan had a special reason to come out of retirement to assist with this project. Three of the houses under construction are for his sisters, Brigitte, Ginola and Wenda. They were all born and raised there, along with their five siblings. Brigitte Gungaram can’t wait. She is renting a house in the village during the construction, an unwelcome additional expense, especially since she quit her job as a babysitter after her son’s death six months ago. Widowed at 22, this courageous woman is looking forward to her 30m² two-bedroom apartment, which will bring her a sense of peace and security. « Mo finn fatige met bol partou, tir matla, pous sofa, sove al res kot mo tifi, sak fwa lapli tombe ». Brigitte, who is extremely grateful to Cim, can hardly wait for her house to be ready: «Mo ti a bien kontan gagn mo lakaz pou mo laniverser, le 16 desam», she smiles. « Mo finn fatige met bol partou, tir matla, pous sofa, sove al res kot mo tifi, sak fwa lapli tombe » Ginola Dabydeen did not have to move far. Her son, Vinesh, lives next door in a brand new white and blue house, one of the first built by Cim Finance. While waiting for their turn, Ginola and her husband, Krishnadeo, look after their grandchildren while the schools are closed. « Kan ti kraz lakaz, nou ti bien sagrin ek mem bann zanfan finn plore. Measterla nou soulaze. Zame nou pa ti ena moyen pou ranz enn lakaz akoz laz per antre. Nou pou kapav pass nou retret tankil , ase ale-vini dan sant refiz. » Creating a drain “pou fer delo ale,” patching here and there with plastic - Idney and Marie Paulette Michel’s house barely survived the years. With their three grown children, they are crammed into a few square meters and are impatient for their turn to come. Idney is one of the few people in Cité CIM to have a job in the public service, and he agreed that those facing a particularly difficult situation should be prioritised. However, moving out of their 60-yearold asbestos house was an emergency and it was high time for them. Fortunately, two of their children are now working and will be able to help finance the painting and plastering. “Bizin trwa lame pou bate”, says the father, who does not mention the sacrifices made for his children over the years. Every day, Didier goes from house to house. “ Mo finn gagn bann bon karamad isi,” he says. During his visits, he listens to the daily struggles, including the challenge of putting food on the table. The residents cannot stop thanking him. Together with Rajeshri, the pair tried their very best to remedy the terrible situations they encountered when they first started the project. From time to time, they respond to requests that go beyond the scope of their work. Didier and Rajeshri are ready for the fourth batch of five houses and have learned greatly from the experience. “We have quite a few ideas to improve the programme and further help the community...,” says Rajeshri, full of hope and enthusiasm.
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