BANZA February 2016 Issue | Page 54

Success, often ascribed to as life in the fast lane, revolves around multi-million mansions, sports cars, designer garments, private jets and sports cars. It is those who own massive empires of capitalist enterprises that we label and recognise as exceptional entrepreneurs. It is solely those who create disruptive technological innovations that we shower with accolades in the form of awards, honorary degrees and predominately capital. In the midst of these Forbes 400 lists and all that are homogenous to it, we totally forget to celebrate our very own heroes and heroines; social entrepreneurs. They pursue exercises which bring remedies to problems that are plaguing our communities. A new home At some point, while holidaying in Mauritius, she instantly fell in love with the place and unequivocally decided to prolong her stay. She secured a job with an international secondary school teaching art. The end of her two-year stint there was initiated by her recent marriage. She wanted to dedicate all her time to raising her little kids. Life takes a different twist At four years old, her son was diagnosed with autism. "This was the most painful moment for my family, chiefly because we had limited comprehension of this condition. However, this was a learning curve, as we had to educate ourselves continually.’’ Yasmin Affejee was born in Queen of the Midlands, Nottingham, England. She gratefully asserts that her middle-class parents gave her a decent upbringing. After high school in 1988, she enroled at Sheffield University to study fine arts, where she graduated with a BA in 1991. She immediately got into London College of Arts for postgraduate studies. Upon graduating with a Masters of Arts in 1993, she was now set to follow her lifelong passion for travelling around the world. By sheer coincidence, she met a mother who also had an autistic child. They bilaterally decided to form an association that will be a focal point of all autism concerns. They wanted to converge all voices and advocate for adequate care and support for the autistic population. Subsequently, the organisation was formally registered in 2009. The Autisme Maurice, located in Rosehill, Plaines Wilhems District, Mauritius, has a school and a diagnostic centre as its principal organs. The school has six classes of 6 children each and 12 specially trained teachers, for individual needs of the students.