AIC-France Project
Insertion of
Foreign Women
History
In 2003, a TV invited AIC France to present its
main activities. Among the volunteers present on the set, there was a young
Moroccan women S. and her "teacher". She said that, thanks to the courses she
had had for one year with AIC-France, she was now able to speak directly to the
doctor when her child was ill.
How proud she is to be directly responsible
for her child !
How proud is her child to see she doesn't need translator
anymore !
How proud we were to see such a success
Situation
Social services informed us about the
situation of young women recently settled in France, very isolated : they didn't
speak French, they didn't dare getting out from home, and they couldn't have
literacy courses because they had no one to take care of their young children.
Answer
We had to organize literacy courses for women in
the afternoon, and a day care center for children who were not sent to school.
Target public
Young foreign women coming from varied
geographical origin : Africa, Asia, Latin America …, having very different
training level, and understanding a little French but being unable to read or
write it.
Description of the project
- To organize 3 times a week,
during school year, courses for groups of about 15 women
- To take care of
the children not sent to school and being under their mothers' responsibility
- To find premises including at least 2 rooms
- To train the volunteers
wanting to become "teachers"
- To work in partnership with the social
services who propose the project to the women and regularly ensure a training
about social life and family economy
Positive results of the project
Of course, women learn
French, and this contribute to make them self-sufficient, but it is very
important for them too, to meet in groups, to make friends with the volunteers
or other beneficiaries, and finally, to get a positive image of themselves.
A real group dynamics is created, which favors knowledge exchange. At their request, we organize with them cultural outings, because they want to discover French culture and help their children to understand it. A partnership is set up between themselves : the most advanced helping those who understand less, and with them : as they inform us about the topics they would like to be treated.
On the other hand, children learn how to separate from their mothers smoothly and vice versa, their entrance to the day care center preparing them to school; and often, it is the only place where children hear French spoken.
Couldn't we speak of relationship as equals between the volunteers and their pupils, all of them being women concerned with the education of their children ?
June
2005