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Seychelles family video |27 May 2014

In his opening speech last year to officially open a conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. the Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Vincent Meriton said Seychelles needs a family policy, a document which will add momentum to the implementation of the social renaissance initiative.
Explaining the need for such a family policy for Seychelles, Minister Meriton told delegates that the conference was an occasion for them to reflect upon, discuss and develop such a document.
Every year on May 15 Seychelles joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of the Family through various events and the dedication of that day to the family serves to highlight the role of the family as the basic social unit in every society and the need to pay adequate attention for example to family dimensions and developments.  

The theme of last week’s conference, ‘Families Matter’, was in recognition of these facts. As a country which pushes for a people-centred approach to development, family-related programmes and services have been put in place to cater for the well being of Seychellois families, although local families have undergone many changes over the past 20 years.

While laying great emphasis on the importance of close family units, Minister Meriton said: “Not everyone of us surely appreciates our family. Because like everything precious in life we take our families for granted. We get to complain of overbearing parents, interfering grandparents, nosey brothers and sisters, or rebellious children instead of appreciating and valuing our families.
 
Sometimes it is too late. How many of us miss the presence of departed parents, the support of a caring grandmother whom we have sent to a care home,  the companionship of a brother who is serving a prison sentence or the laughter of a child.

“We do not often appreciate but surely our families are indeed among nature’s greatest assets for in them we find the purpose that guides us in life; the comfort when we falter; the sense of belonging when the world turns its back on us and the inspiration when we need to move on in reaching heights,” said the minister.

The minister also pointed out that as we reflect, discuss and take actions for what matters for our families, in this endeavour an understanding and appreciation of our current social and economic  context is of paramount importance.

During the conference there was a video presentation on the overview of the state of families in Seychelles which www.nation.sc invites you to view.

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