Who We Are

Lupus, the disease with a thousand faces, was unheard of in Mauritius before the first press article on Dalilah Kalla, a lupus patient, who came out public with her suffering, traumatic experiences and her agony at the age of 13.

The idea of setting up an NGO in Mauritius to support Lupus patients was initiated by Babs Venkatasamy. Lupus Alert is the only registered NGO that has pulled Lupus and other Autoimmune diseases out of the shadows since 2000 and has been a source of enormous support to patients in Mauritius and neighboring countries like Rodrigues, Reunion Island,  Madagascar or Seychelles.

The organisation is run entirely by volunteers of whom the majority has Lupus. We use our own experiences of the illness to assist those newly diagnosed in understanding their condition and we offer an empathetic listening ear to any problems the lupus sufferer may be facing.

As an NGO that is essentially People, Lupus Alert has left no stones unturned in its fight against Lupus. We are dedicated and committed to improve the lives of people living with lupus and related conditions through Advocacy, Education, Public Awareness, Research and Clinical Trials.

In our endeavour to increase public awareness of Lupus/Autoimmune Diseases and in collaboration with the American Embassy, Lupus Alert started a Library/Resource Centre in 2003. Our library resource centre is used by our members, health professionals, medical students, teachers and friends, to increase awareness of Lupus and related diseases. Individuals who are not familiar with Lupus and other related autoimmune diseases can be obstacles to successful living with the disease.

Today, the Lupus Alert Library has an impressive collection of materials for everyone’s enjoyment ranging from healthy reading and living to the arts, sciences, general works, bestsellers, children’s books and a reference section.

Due to the popularity and constant use of this unique library by our members and a great demand for memberships coming from medical professional and medical students, Lupus Alert introduced the Medical Journals Section starting with two journals – Lupus: An International Journal from Sage Publications and Rheumatology from Oxford Journals Publication. Recent published research is essential for doctors as they learn practicing the Evidence Based Medicine. As practitioners, they require the skill of analyzing recent updates and guidelines before applying these in clinical practice. Discussing the published literature in terms of sample population, study design, limitations, relevance and comparison with previous studies to formulate an evidence for practice must be an essential part of training.

Our unique library is also used by University students and the general public and we have been compelled to increase the volume of books and magazines and other resource materials to satisfy one and all. We are pleased also that financial resources have permitted the continued expansion of existing collections. It remains our aim to make those great titles available in attractive editions to waiting readers and to those people lacking reading habits.