Miura is a Malagasy lady that have been much active in the people’s mobilsiation on the Mahébourg Waterfront during the Wakashio crisis. My name is Miura. I am 36 years old and I am a mother of 3 children. I am Malagasy. I’ve been in Mauritius since 3 and a half years. But I was already in Mauritius since 2011, in 6 month intervals.
How do you make a living?
I do crocheting, for example baby slippers, like this one. I crochet headband, ribbons flowers and hair accessories. I also make small under dishes on order depending on the clients’ requests and what they are really looking for. For me this work is not a waste of time because as soon as the product is ready it is taken immediately by the customer.
How did you experience the Wakashio crash?
Life after the Wakashio crash is a bit difficult as a woman with three children. Being a foreigner, looking for work is difficult because I am not Mauritian. It is also difficult to find a job after the COVID-19 which has invaded the whole world. I started to pull together and not to waste time looking for jobs. At the moment, I am in the process of making bags like this at home. These bags are all handmade. The ideas to make those bags came from my neighbors. They said they wanted a bag like this, that’s where I got the idea and I tried making it. Well, here it is, after Wakashio we cannot stay without doing anything, but we must always look for something to do for the children’s sake.
What do you hope for the society of tomorrow?
For our tomorrow, I wish that women have more value. That they are no more indecently humiliated or even mistreated. A lot of women are suffering from the current situation. Husbands are turning against their wives, and the latter is pulled in a spiral down. I encourage women to stay strong and realize that we can do so much good. Recognize that we have value in our society. I encourage women to be strong and always show themselves that we women are capable of doing good things. Nowadays, children no longer know how to respect their parents and no longer give them value, especially to their mother. What I really want to say is that I would like us to give respect and value to the woman.