3 kinds of sponsorships :
The E.U, rich and very developed organization, have to come to help poor countries. In fact, the standard of living in E.U make possible an active and concrete solidarity.
We had chosen a association who help for the development and for the education which aim is to make people respect the children rights . This human action fights against the starvation et hygiene scarcity in Asia . It gives to children the possibility to study in order to help their country in the future .
" Enfants du Mekong ", based en France, makes actions in the south east of Asia, along the Mekong, a river which cross several countries like : Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines …
This is a personal relationship between a child and his sponsor. By mails, by reception of reports of his school, you'll follow the evolution of your Asian child.
This one permits to a sponsor to support a sponsorship program as a whole (school, home …). This type of sponsorship is particularly adapted in isolated sites where correspondence is a problem and sponsor doesn't want to exchange letters with his child.
This kind permits to a child to continue his studies. It works as individual sponsorship with a correspondence the student and his sponsor.
To sponsor is a concrete and efficient action: a donation of 21€/month
which permits to a child to be at school and, like that, to escape: prostitution,
drugs, forced work…
To sponsor is a way to feed, dress, send to school and nurse the child. In 2002, Enfants du Mékong has sent to families 2 744 849 € given by sponsors.
When your demand is received, you'll have a personal file with your child's photo.
A wonderful adventure starts: adventure of solidarity!
…
to help school
· Construction and renovation of school
· Buying furniture and school materials
…to
help villages
· Construction and renovation of houses, routes, bridges, wells
…to
help families
· Buying clothes
· Buying medicines
· Participation for medical expenses
…to
help students
· Participation for higher school expenses
· Home working
· Reception houses location
Even if you are a private individual or a firm, you can help Enfants du Mékong.
Projects
always meet local demands. They never substitute themselves to local authorities
but they help them.
For this, Bamboo-volunteers go to Asia (south-east) in order to find men and
women who present developing programs. Volunteers study those projects and accept
them if Enfants du Mékong can support them.
Donations
had skyrocketed between 1996 and 2000 but they decreased in 2002. So they were
in deficit. Fortunately, they had got profits of the last year so they could
face the crisis.
In another point,
Projects we propose you are real needs there. The Bamboo-volunteers have verified the serious of each projects. The donation is used to the projects you've chosen. His well execution is followed by the volunteers, there.
Since
1988, Enfants du Mékong sends on the place volunteers
· 25 students or young professionals send: the Bamboo-volunteers.
· You've said bamboo? A bamboo bend but don't break: he can adapt himself
to all situations.
Those volunteers give 1 year of their lives to poor children of Asia and to
Enfants du Mékong. They've in average 2O to 30 years-old. They have to
support local authorities' actions. They make sure relations between sponsors
and children, way of money and sponsorship programs.
They have to find the money they need (travel in plane, papers, medicine, life there…).They have to be motivated and generous to give this year and share Asian children everyday life.
Missions are 1 year long. Volunteers have to adapt themselves to the country, its culture, its population and the project they realise.
In France,
since 1975, we receive young Asians in home, at Asnières (92) and Rungis
(94).
Those young people are children of refugees of boat-people, who live in precarity
or exclusion situations or who went for their superior studies.
Their pedagogy is axed on 4 things:
· To receive
· To send to school
· To bring up
· To accompany
1958-1967:
good beginning in Laos
· 1958: René PECHARD creates the Association for the protection
of childhood in Laos (ASPEL). Its aim is help orphans. First calls for sponsorship
in France.
· 1964: Opening of three reception households in Vientiane for poor children.
· 1968: Creation in Paris of ASPEL France managed by J-C Didelot.
· 1975: R.PECHARD left Laos. He met the first refugees on the Mekong
riverside.
1975-1988:
help to refugees in Thailand and in France
· 1976: R.PECHARD creates the headquarter in Villejuif and a young household
in Rosny-sous-Bois.
· 1977: The association is now called Enfants du Mékong.
· 1984: Installation of the national headquarter in Asnières.
· 1988: Y.MEAUDRE is elected general director. R.PECHARD died and J6C
is elected president.
1989-1995:
development of sponsorship and household in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand.
· 1990: The first sponsorship appeared in Vietnam and Cambodia. Enfants
du Mékong received the price of Human rights in France.
· 1992: Opening of a household in Rungis.
Since
1995: Creation of sponsorship in Philippines and long term development projects
· 1995: Opening of first programs of sponsorship in Philippines.
· 2001: F.FOUCART is elected president of the association.
· 2003: 14 000 godchildren, 200 projects of long term development in
Asia. Programs opened in isolated regions.
Buying of school furniture for children in Manille in Philippines.
It was created by Joe Dean, president of the association "he cares"
which helps 300 children in Manille's streets.
For the school beginning 2003, "he cares" wanted to offer to each
child a complete package to enter to school in perfect conditions: exercise
books, pens, pencils, uniforms, shoes …
Near 6 000 € have been gift by Enfants du Mekong to answer "he cares"
's demand because of its simplicity and its necessity. 80 children have received
this present to go to school.
THE RESULT OF AN EFFICIENT HUMAN ACTION
As
we have just seen, a concrete action needs a big organization, at a financial
or practical level, matters of volunteers, their actions places, the sent of
letters and packages, but also, advertisement which have to be efficient in
order to touch a maximum of people.
What explain the quick development of Enfants du Mékong is the possibility,
even if the donation is a little one, to know its efficiency. Moreover, the
sponsor system makes the givers trusting because they know where their money
goes and what it is used to : they let the association help more.
This French association, thanks to the European people willingness, helps Asian children to construct their future country.
