Report from Ghyslain Ndikumana, Young Caritas Essonne
“I am, like a member of the team Young Caritas Essonne, a voluntarily in the Secours Catholique since September 2015. We have several actions of solidarity. For example, the distribution of drinks to people without a permanent residence, the solidarity actions in slum settlements every wednesday evening, as well as our presence in the prefecture of Evry in 2 assemblies in the month with the migrants who wait for the regulation of her residance document. We also have more punctual actions, with special matters.
At the meetings with the people the exchange is in the middle of our action. Thanks to the discussion one feels that the trust grows and this is a big contented position. Some are surprised if one offers coffee free of charge, but we do it anyway. With my stay in Algeria, I already have been involved in the help of the migrants. The subject migrant is a subject which fits me well, because I can help there where a little bit of help is needed. We act where the government acts less or not at all. My engagement enriches me a lot because I meet many people, which are different from each other. I feel that this constructs my personality and gives me a certain balance in the life. As I young human, it enables me to adapt, because I offer things instead of waiting. Every situation is complicated because one does not know the person who we will talk to or to which one goes. But the discussion enables to understand the everyday life of the people. All that works because of the will of the volunteers of getting to know everybody and understand the things. Discussing, I make clear to myself that that, what we do, could cause things which go beyond our expectations and that is what astonishs us. We would form even more a team, if the other people of Young Caritas would come together. Solidly united with the most fragile ones, we form a small family.
In France I think that a large part of the inhabitants rather are against the acommodation of the people, but the management is closed. There are many calculations which are made. But there are also initiatives which are created to accommodate people. I said, that the question will be approached with humanity and worr. If I see people walk to the prefecture with her children in the evening and stand in the cold at night, I say to myself that one could make the things different.”
