Médecins Sans Frontières - Accueillons: a hosting solidarity network ENG

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF283808

Date taken / Date Recorded 05/09/2019 12:00 AM

Country France

Commissioning section MSF-FRANCE

Photographer / videographer / producer Laurie Bonnaud

Copyright Laurie Bonnaud/MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m48s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 236.07 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Mahamadou is 17 years old. He comes from Mali.

Like thousands of other foreigners [living in France] under the age of 18, he lived on the streets without any protection from the state.

On their arrival in France, young foreigners are obliged to prove that they are minors before they can be protected by the State Social Assistance for Childhood. The evaluations are rushed, controversial and everything is done to consider them as major. As result, they find themselves on the street, unprotected and particularly vulnerable.

Me with the others, it's like that, we sleep on the street. We do not know anybody.

To provide these young people with shelter, Médecins sans Frontières and Utopia 56 have created a network called Accueillons.

Accueilons provides peaceful and stable accommodation solution by offering a family structure; a positive environment that allows young people to better progress in their social and cultural integration.

Hosts, like Marlene and her family, have opened their homes in Brittany.

Through the network, we are among three families that have welcomed the same young person. They stay for one month with each family.

Three families which means three times the number of opportunities to meet new people.

There are a lot of advantages to being with the host family. Thanks to Marlene and her husband Patrick, I am at school today. As well as school, I’ll also soon start my plumbing apprenticeship.

I started boxing too; that's also a good thing for me.

Before beginning to host a minor and throughout time staying with the host families, the network staff listen to families.
Before welcoming Mahamadou, we had doubts, we wondered…
About habits, customs, culture. Would it be possible to live together in the house?

Awena (17 years) and Rayahna (13 years), Marlène’s daughters

Mahamadou fits quite well into our family. Not long ago, our cousins and uncles stayed with us; he got on well with them. He played quoits with them. It's a tradition to play quoits at family gatherings!
In fact, it's not such a big difference. It's just about tolerance on both sides.

The network Accueillons is working in Occitania, New Aquitaine, Hauts de France, Brittany, Ile de France and in Center-Val de Loire.

You too: become host!

Visit the website: www.hebergementsolidaire.msf.fr