In May 2024, a significant initiative took place in Mauritius, led by the project officer for commercial first aid from the Global First Aid Reference Center (GFARC). This initiative, organized in collaboration with the Mauritius Red Cross Society (CRMu), aimed to enhance the organization’s first aid training and commercial activities.

The Mauritius Red Cross Society, while active in first aid with several trainers, seeks to strengthen its internal and external training capacities, positioning itself as a key player in national first aid. The organization also aims to develop psychological first aid and responses to climate risks and epidemics. Funded by the French Red Cross’s National Society’s Development department, this capacity-building project received support from GFARC to reinforce their commercial first aid activities. 

Several key activities were implemented as part of this initiative:

One of the primary activities was a marketing workshop with volunteers. This workshop aimed to enhance the communication skills of the volunteers, focusing on developing effective marketing strategies and tools to promote first aid training. Another essential activity was a workshop dedicated to creating financial monitoring tools. This workshop also redefined the pricing structure and modalities for first aid training provided to employees, ensuring sustainability and efficiency in the services offered. The project also included a crucial meeting with the consulting firm conducting the market study. The discussions focused on analyzing data and receiving marketing recommendations to improve Mauritius Red Cross’s market presence and outreach strategies. Additionally, a pivotal meeting was held with the Mauritian Minister of Health to discuss the establishment of a National First Aid Council. 

The overall goal of this initiative was to support and guide the National Society.This included analysing the market study and implementing the recommendations from the consulting firm, developing a comprehensive business plan, providing strategic recommendations to enhance their advocacy efforts, and crafting a marketing strategy to increase visibility and market penetration.

This marks significant step forward in enhancing the quality and reach of first aid training in Mauritius, to better serve its community and become a leading national first aid provider.