Mauritius’s first postwoman

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Yasmine attributes her accomplishment mainly to education, “without education I wouldn’t have reached this level,” she says. “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet,” said Aristotle. Yasmine Said Mohedeen, wife and mother, has definitely gone through a tough route before savouring her success in both her professional and personal life. Indeed, education has not only enabled her to get work but she has learnt much more than she could have imagined. Advocating the cause of the most needy in our society, Yasmine was the president of a social workers’ association and was studying in the meantime to get a job. She appreciated the work of postmen as “they are people who help the society to move forward,” she says. For her, it was a real challenge to work as a postwoman and she was willing to attain her goal. She registered herself at the Employment Bureau and was soon selected to work at the Post Office.

“My academic courses indeed helped me to get a job,” says Yasmine proudly. Being the first woman to integrate the team of postmen, Yasmine was quite scared at first but she was committed to the work. With her family supporting her, Yasmine also received “an extraordinarily warm welcome when I integrated the team,” she happily says. The post office hiring her is a sign that “the post office has changed” like many other companies which no longer have stereotyped jobs and where “they value women.” The company’s management department gave her much support through training such as “postal academics, customer care, postal procedures and mostly we learned how to behave in the world of work.” Yasmine underwent six months of training. “I had to accompany a postman for about two weeks to the city to deliver letters, to learn how the work was done.,” says Yasmine.

Yasmine mostly works in Port Louis where she delivers letters to shops, companies, offices, and government bureaus. She delivers the letters on foot and confesses that it was quite difficult for her at first. She has met unpleasant people while working but Yasmine has always kept her calm and her cheerful temperament. When people see her in her postwoman uniform many tell her “you look lovely in your uniform,” declares Yasmine. Some people even tell her that this shows that “the place of women in Mauritian society has changed.” Indeed, Yasmine herself wanted to break from the tradition by engaging herself in a job that was mostly done by men. “I wanted to contribute to the society’s betterment and I am sure that Mauritians as well as the Mauritius Post appreciate the work now done by five other colleagues,” she says. Without any hesitation, Yasmine would encourage other women to work with love and determination. “Women should stand on their own feet financially and be independent” argues Yasmine.

For Yasmine, the key is education especially for women. “We must put much emphasis on education as it gets people out of poverty. Now I can help my family and children to have a decent education. Women must be motivated to learn,” says Yasmine."

[Lounge Lizard]

Moya Greene said very much the same thing on being appointed the first ever woman Chief Executive at Royal Mail.

[Wessex]

Word association

Mauritius ~ Dodo

Moya Greene ~ .....