Emmaus Saumur friends’ committee marked its 25th anniversary on 7th February along with many of the movement’s members from around France, including the chairs of Emmaus France, Emmaus Europe and Emmaus International.
Over its 25 years of existence, Emmaus Saumur has forged a unique path in the fight against poverty. It has set up an organisation specially devoted to social housing, which does renovations, enabling people to stay in their homes, or re-homes them. From its very beginnings, it’s also always contributed to Emmaus’s worldwide solidarity initiatives. The committee’s volunteers, known as friends, are driven by their ethos of showing solidarity with others and reintegrating people back into society. The committee has 100 volunteers and around 20 staff members. Emmaus Saumur works closely with other local voluntary organisations and institutions.
At Emmaus Saumur, Habitat Solidarité, the Relais familial and SOS Familles all came about from a strong desire to help society’s most vulnerable members. Jean-Pierre Bachowicz, Chair, summed up the organisation’s development: “We’ve gone from being a hard-working voluntary organisation to a social enterprise, with the rights and duties of an employer.”
