At La Caze Mama, we have been doing our very best to bring Mauritian cuisine to the Australian market, for our fellow Mauritians in Australia and the non-Mauritian community alike.
Throughout our operations, we have worked with many inspirational individuals who have played a major role in helping those in need—Mrs Shamima Patel, the founder of Breast Cancer Care, is one of them.
A not-for-profit organisation based in Mauritius, Breast Cancer Care helps women in their battle against breast cancer and has changed the lives of many breast cancer patients in our homeland.
In this blog post, we explore Shamima Patel’s organisation and how we at La Caze Mama have joined hands with her, to give back to the community.
Mrs Patel’s Story and Breast Cancer Care’s Origins
Recognised as one of the 50 most outstanding women in healthcare and as one of the most influential women in Mauritius, winning the award in 2017, a winner of the Mauritian Women of the Year 2019 Exemplary Leader award, and Women of the Year 2020 Most Impactful Woman Award, Mrs Shamima Patel is nothing short of amazing.
Her inspiration for founding Breast Cancer Care comes from her own experience; in 2010 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but thanks to quick medical intervention and support from her family and friends, she won her battle against cancer.
Three years later, she became an ambassador for raising awareness on breast cancer.
In 2014, Mrs Patel founded Breast Cancer Care with the aim of empowering women with breast cancer and giving them the support they need in their fight against cancer.
The NGO provides accommodation to breast cancer patients where they can recover after their treatments, and includes meals, wigs, scarves and prosthetics, completely free of charge.
The organisation also provides free consultation services and financially supports chemotherapy and surgery for underprivileged patients on the island; their psychologist also makes regular visits to provide emotional support.
Since its inception in 2014, Breast Cancer Care has helped over 10,000 women in Mauritius through the many services they offer.
According to Mrs Patel, women with breast cancer are fighters and her organisation hopes to raise awareness on breast cancer throughout the island and show breast cancer patients that they are not alone in their battle.
Mrs Patel recently established Madam Rodrig, a Mauritian food producer based in Rodrigues.
Procuring Madam Rodrig pickles
Rodrigues octopus is one of our blockbuster products here at La Caze Mama, and we wanted to offer more Rodriguan products to our customers; this made us want to include new kinds of Rodriguan pickles into our inventory.
However, we had a difficult time finding good, high-quality pickles that we could offer the Mauritian community in Australia, from Rodrigues island.
So when Mrs Patel established Madam Rodrig in Rodrigues, we finally had access to the high-quality pickles we were looking for.
The facility produces delicious, high-quality, HACCP-accredited Mauritian food products, which are sealed in jars and sold to marketplaces. The proceeds from this project goes into funding Breast Cancer Care and its operations and managing the accommodations for Rodriguan women with breast cancer.
Madam Rodrig was the solution to our search for high-quality octopus pickles with more octopus and rich flavours such as Piment Ourite and Zasar Ourite, as well as other pickles like Limon Confit and Limon AIgre Doux (lemon pickles).
Madam Rodrig produces some of the most delectable pickles available on the island and we are thrilled to enable our customers back here in Australia to experience them too.
It’s truly amazing how doing something as simple as making and selling pickles can help so many people and raise awareness. We at La Caze Mama, salute Mrs Patel and her devotion and commitment to helping women in need.
