Black Friday in Rainbow Colours
Clearly, Mauritians would not have missed the biggest sales day of the year: the famous Black Friday. And that is how Ascencia Group decided to bring a new dimension to this event.
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Publié
24.05.2021
104, 037. That’s the total number of people who visited the malls of Ascencia on 27 November 2020.
Black Friday, yes, but for a cause
Black Friday is renowned in the world as the day when consumers can save big money on a wide array of items, from clothes to TV. It originated in the United States, and follows Thanksgiving which is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November. Wondering why it is called ‘’Black Friday”? Strange as it may seem, the name is in fact used to reflect retailers’ success. It is a common accounting practice to use red ink when recording losses in the book entries while black ink is used to indicate profit.
Last year, together with shoppers and the Global Rainbow Foundation, Ascencia made this event more meaningful. Thanks to the 104,037 mall visitors who came to do their shopping at Bagatelle Mall, Phoenix Mall, Riche Terre Mall, Bo’Valon Mall, So’flo, Kendra and Les Allées, Ascencia was able to donate Rs 104,037 to the Global Rainbow Foundation (GRF). Rs 1 for each visitor that stepped into one of the malls that Friday. A beautiful metaphor illustrating the fact that each step counts. The money collected was used to fund the GRF’s Holistic Therapy Program, an initiative that aims to help people with disabilities.
For Alisha Dulbhujun, Marketing Manager of Phoenix Mall and Riche Terre Mall, it goes without saying that Ascencia has to support the regions surrounding the shopping malls. “We are committed to supporting the actions of various organizations across the island throughout the year by integrating them into our campaigns. In so doing, we highlight the work of different NGOs. That is the reason why we wanted to give a boost to the project of the Global Rainbow Foundation,” explains Alisha.
The Holistic Therapy Program explained
The Holistic Therapy program of the Global Rainbow Foundation is designed for special needs schools and contributes to students’ growth, ensuring that they manage to find their place in society. “I am grateful to Ascencia for supporting our yoga, laughter and art therapies, disciplines that are in high demand and much appreciated by our students,” said Professor Parsuramen, the founder of GRF. Impressed by the success of the campaign, he also declared that the idea of turning a purely commercial event into a sharing opportunity was excellent.
Early this year, the Global Rainbow Foundation was already working with seven schools in the North and conducted 4 art therapy workshops in Flacq and Beau-Bassin. To date, the program has boosted the students’ morale and confidence, and even helped improve significantly their mobility. There is no doubt that yoga, laughter and art are a wonderful combination for someone’s well-being!
About the Global Rainbow Foundation (GRF)
Founded in 2011 by Prof. Armoogum Parsuramen G.O.S.K, the charitable trust is committed to support people belonging to the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups in society; especially persons with disabilities. Through its wide range of activities, the GRF advocates for their rights while educating, enabling and empowering them. The GRF organises regular sensitisation campaigns and activities with the hope of changing people’s stereotypical perceptions and attitudes towards people with disabilities. With the help of medical professionals, the organization provides physical, speech and emotional therapy. They also ensure that people with disabilities are re-integrated into society through their employability program.
Disability in Mauritius: Some Key Figures*
- Nearly 60,000 Mauritians live with disabilities. This represents about 5% of the population.
- 55,614 are aged 16 years and above.
- 8,435 disabled people are employed, 30% of whom are women.
- 5,295 live alone.
*Statistics Mauritius. Housing Population Census 2011.
Publié le
24.05.2021
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