As a member of Emmaus International, each year the Abbé Pierre Foundation funds a whole host of international solidarity projects. In 2015, the Foundation joined forces with Emmaus International to fund projects aimed at improving the accommodation offered by Emmaus associations on 4 continents. This week, we head to India.
ASIA, India > Refurbishing a hostel for young girls
In India, the Emmaus association FHF (Florence Home Foundation) defends the rights of children and women in poor and rural areas. In order to do just that, the group manages two hostels providing free accommodation to 30 girls and 25 boys who have been abandoned by their families. Located close to schools, these hostels enable the children to attend classes and thus contribute to the fight against school failure. Opened ten years ago, the hostel building which houses 25 girls aged between 6 and 16 is now in poor condition: the bathroom and toilet walls are crumbling, rust is eroding the doors, the electrics are unsound and the paintwork is shabby.
The funding from the Abbé Pierre Foundation will make it possible to improve both the accommodation and safety of the young girls, who will thus be better able to continue their studies. The hostel’s two floors will both be refurbished, and six toilets and bathrooms will be built.
ASIA, India > Building bedrooms for the companions
In order to cover the running costs of its hostels, in the year 2000 FHF created an organic farm which generates income through the sale of agricultural produce and the rearing of goats, cows and hens. The farm also offers training courses to both local farmers and FHF members.
Ten companions (men and women) live and work on the farm. The association had begun to build bedrooms above the training room, but the financial crisis brought the work to a halt.
The funding from the Abbé Pierre Foundation will allow the bedrooms of the companions working on the farm to be completed. In total, four bedrooms will be built in total.
Since 1992, the Abbé Pierre Foundation for the Housing of the Underprivileged has worked across France, continuing Abbé Pierre’s struggle to ensure access to decent housing for all. It provides accommodation and guidance to people in difficulty and calls upon policy-makers to shoulder their responsibilities regarding access to housing. Every year, the Foundation also earmarks a significant portion of its budget to the funding of international projects.
In 2015, the Abbé Pierre Foundation and Emmaus International worked together to identify and fund projects aimed at improving the accommodation offered by Emmaus associations in Africa, America, Asia and Europe.
© Didier Gentilhomme
