Twenty years ago, Sophie and Vincente walked through the doors of the women’s prison in Beau-Bassin, offering a safe space to incarcerated women to share their problems. A small group of about 15 women benefited from this initiative and said that this group allowed them to get to know themselves better: “Koné ki nou été” - which is how Kinouété » was born.
Today, our team of 24 staff operates within 8 prisons in Mauritius.
We continue to be close to our beneficiaries, listening to them and doing our best to meet their needs. We respect the personal journey of each one
Twenty years ago, Sophie and Vincente walked through the doors of the women’s prison in Beau-Bassin, offering a safe space to incarcerated women to share their problems. A small group of about 15 women benefited from this initiative and said that this group allowed them to get to know themselves better: “Koné ki nou été” - which is how « Kinouété » was born.
Today, our team of 24 staff operates within 8 prisons in Mauritius.
We continue to be close to our beneficiaries, listening to them and doing our best to meet their needs. We respect the personal journey of each one
Our biggest challenge is reintegrating formerly incarcerated persons into society. Once prison doors open to let an inmate out, other doors slam in their face, including a multitude of jobs requiring a certificate of character. Yet it is in society’s best interest that formerly incarcerated individuals do not reoffend and successfully reintegrate society.
Reintegration is a long process requiring much preparation; incarcerated persons must be supported during their incarceration and upon their release from prison.
Kinouété is also involved in the reintegration of young people into society, to prevent further marginalisation. To this end, we coach and guide the youngsters during their stay in Rehabilitation Youth Centres (RYC) and Correctional Youth Centres (CYC).
Our aim is to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons regain their autonomy and dignity while they strive for a fulfilled life.
To succeed, we practice a person-centred approach to rehabilitation, reintegration and prevention.
Each woman, each man, each child that we meet, is valued and important to us. It is this unconditional acceptance and non-judgemental support that promotes self-acceptance and personal growth.
We are Kinouété, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working towards the rehabilitation and reintegration of detainees. Adopting a person-centred approach, we listen empathically to incarcerated persons during their incarceration and upon their release. We offer them the opportunity to take stock of their lives so they are able to see what went wrong and stop repeating the same mistakes. We support them on the path to personal reconstruction, where they can see that, beyond their criminal behaviours, they are also human beings with intrinsic value.
It is only once the person has been accepted empathically and unconditionally, that they can have insight into their past behaviours and choose to stop the downward spiral into criminality and social exclusion. A rehabilitation process can then begin. It should start during the detention period, when there is time to reflect and change can occur. The rehabilitation process continues after release from prison, when the focus is on reinsertion into an active and productive life. Kinouété’s objective is to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons achieve personal growth, by giving them the right tools to heal, to change and to rebuild their lives.
Faced with the trauma of a prison sentence, incarcerated persons need hope - of getting their lives back on track, of a possible reintegration to society, of a better future...
Most of the time upon their release, a person who has been in prison finds him/herself jobless, struggling to reintegrate into society; they often do not have a family to help them nor a house to live in. Unfortunately, formerly incarcerated persons tend to find themselves locked in prejudice, fear and exclusion
Years of experience working in prisons have shown us that it is possible to help these men and women grow in self-esteem and start a rehabilitation process. By acquiring a better knowledge of who they are, of their strengths and talents, they can decide to start afresh and rebuild their lives.
Social Initiatives
delivered inside prisons
prevention
in prison
accompanied
inmates
counselling interviews in prison and post detention
Social and
pedagogical activities
*Statistics compiled by the Kinouété association for the period 2015-2020
Sponsor, volunteer, social actor:
We all have a role to play in helping to rehabilitate inmates and formerly incarcerated persons into our society.
En ce début d’année, l’Association Kinouété est très fière de dévoiler sa vision pour 2021-2025. En effet, l’association, qui
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Kinouété’s 2021-2025 strategic plan announces a paradigm shift in the evolution of the organisation....
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Il y a 20 ans de cela, deux femmes, Sophie et Vincente, ont franchi la porte de la prison pour femmes à Beau-Bassin. Elles y ont proposé un espace d’écoute et de partage.
Un petit groupe d’environ 15 femmes y ont participé. À l’heure du bilan, ces femmes ont admis que ce groupe leur avait permis de mieux se connaître : “Koné ki nou été”. Ainsi est née l’association Kinouété.
Aujourd’hui, nous animons des activités dans 7 prisons à Maurice avec une équipe de 17 personnes.
Nous continuons de nous faire proches de nos bénéficiaires pour être à l’écoute et répondre à leurs besoins. Nous respectons le cheminement de chacun.
Le plus difficile reste la réinsertion des ex-détenus. Au moment où la porte de la prison se referme derrière le détenu, d’autres portes lui claquent au nez – notamment celles d’une multitude d’emplois pour lesquels on exige un certificat de caractère. Pourtant, il est dans l’intérêt de la société qu’il ne récidive pas et qu’il puisse se réinsérer. La réinsertion doit être préparée et accompagnée pendant la détention et à la sortie.
On doit aussi se préoccuper de l’insertion des jeunes dans la société, avant qu’ils ne dérapent. Nous sommes présents pour guider les jeunes dans les Rehabilitation Youth Centres (RYC) et Correctional Youth Centres (CYC).