THE PROBLEM WE ARE FACING
In the capital of France, an estimate of 29,000 people lives on the streets, many of them being refugees. (BBC News) This is a recurring issue that requires help not only from the government, but from the citizens too. Lack of basic human needs such as food, clothing, warmth and hygiene products is something we might not consider when leading out daily life. The “Esprit de Corps” project will address the current situation of homeless people and refugees living on the streets of Paris and their life conditions. The main objective of the project is to bring together students to create a well-communicating group that is able to not only spread awareness about the issue but act upon it and help those in need. The project will focus on creating resources such as webinars and online events which can be used as a form of communication and education on this matter. In addition, the goals the project hopes to achieve include fundraisers and collaboration with different NGOs that directly help homeless people and refugees, collection bins set out in schools so that the students can donate their no longer used clothes and items as well as new gifts such as hygiene products and prepackaged food. We are hoping to host language teaching sessions for minor refugees, which will have a great impact on their future. With this action, the school community, and hopefully the city, will be more aware of the difficulties faced by homeless people and refugees.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN...
When I first arrived in France and noticed the significant amount of homeless people and refugees living on the streets of Paris, I was extremely upset. I knew I needed to provide help to those in need. This realization led me to signing up to a volunteer group, which focuses on distributing food, clothing and other items to people living in the streets of the city. Later on in the year in my French Immersion class along with my classmates and our teacher we were working on a project, which focused on spreading awareness about the refugee crisis and which in the end allowed us to collect 860 Euro through a fundraising campaign. The money was later donated to an organization that provided shelter for 20 minor refugees living in Paris. The internal satisfaction I felt from making such a simple change, inspired me to think about continuing a similar project that could work towards bettering the situation of those in need. Seeing the happy faces of young refugee boys trying on different t-shirts donated by the members of the volunteer group or listening to stories narrated by the local homeless friend of ours, Pascal, when giving him a sandwich and a cup of warm coffee was an instant dose of joy. That is why I wanted to combine the idea of student led initiatives with real life action that could result in remarkable change in these people’s lives.
- Wiktoria Perner