From 1 to 19 September 2015, Auchan supermarket will hold its 8th fundraising event to support the actions of non-profit organisation SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde.

Money collected in previous years have contributed to educational projects in Niger, Mali, Laos, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Haïti, and funds raised in the 2015 will support the promotion of access to education in a secure learning environment for the disadvantaged children and earthquake victims in Nepal.

The issue is a significant one in the country of Nepal, where poverty and discrimination prevent girls, minority children and those living in rural areas from gaining proper access to education. Statistics showed that before the April and May earthquakes 1.2 million children were out of school, and these figures have since been exacerbated by the disasters which killed over 8,000 people and destroyed more than 35,000 classes, crippling an already weak education system.

SOS Villages d'Enfants Nepal has been present in the country for forty years, and immediately began to set up emergency aid programmes for victims as well as 25 home spaces for 2,000 children, to provide them with psychosocial support, art therapy and informal educational activities.

The association was also involved in distributing school supplies to children and ensuring their enrollment in public and SOS schools. Thousands of schools are in need of demolishing and rebuilding, and SOS Villages d'Enfants Nepal will rehabilitate four public schools.

The earthquakes rippled through many social levels in the lives of its Nepalese victims, and the school reconstruction project also requires providing rehabilitation and support to orphaned children, strengthening affected families and building social housing.

Auchan customers will therefore be able to lend their support to the action of SOS Villages d'Enfants with a donation made at checkout, by either using accumulated credit on their Auchan cards or by adding a deignated amount to their purchases.

Auchan has also agreed to pay €1 on ten selected solidarity items available to SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde. The association will also be present at the supermarket on Saturday 19 September, where it will hold a face-painting booth for children.

 

Photos by SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde