On May 20, Daliya di (in charge of the Bakuabary center), Sabita di (administrator), Chintamoni di (in charge of the EPN center) and Father Laurent flew out to meet our donors and friends.
For Sabita and Daliya, it was not a new experience, as they have already taken part in several tours, but for Chinta, it was a big first! Her impressions and experiences will be covered in an interview in the next newsletter (issue 74).
It was not without excitement and a touch of apprehension that we saw our three Didis take off for Europe.
For more than three weeks, they criss-crossed France and Switzerland with Father and were able to take part in numerous events. The trip was a great opportunity to meet up with the HSP family again, but it was also a chance to extend the family and introduce it to new people for years to come. Our four representatives were delighted to be able to share a part of their daily lives and raise awareness of disability and poverty in India.
So let’s take a quick flashback and go into more detail about this journey.
As soon as they arrived, they could count on the hospitality and warm welcome of our friends and former volunteers. Thermal shock for our Didis, who had just arrived from Howrah, where the Indian summer was well under way with daily temperatures of almost 40°C.
The Didis had the pleasure of putting down their bags for three days at Frédéric’s house. A heavy program awaited them, but a little rest before the tumult of events was not to be refused. The first week in Paris was marked by a visit to a secondary school in Levallois-Perret, where 200 pupils from the fourth year of secondary school took part. It was an enriching experience for these teenagers, who were given the opportunity to hear this testimony and become a little more open to the world and its imbalances. The same day, in the evening, the Didis went to Clichy, to the church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, for a testimony in a smaller group accompanied and introduced by Frédéric.
The following day, our delegation took the train to Lyon for a series of intense conferences and testimonies. They eagerly awaited.
This time, the Didis were welcomed by Laetitia and Emmanuel Jousse. During their stay in Lyon, they were also warmly welcomed by Loicia Delloye. They had barely arrived and were already hard at work, as their stay began with an evening of witnessing at the Saint-Claude parish in Tassin-La-Demi-Lune. There is no time to be idle!
The evening provided an opportunity to show the film presenting HSP, made by Damien Boyer during his visit to India in 2020. The following day, an evening of testimonies was also held at the Redemption parish. Between these two events, the Didis were able to take advantage of their visit to Lyon to discover a little more of this beautiful city.
Finally, the Festive Meeting Day brought together HSP, APC, MEP, donor friends and former volunteers at the Jousse family home in Lyon. It was a wonderful event, rich in testimonies and exchanges.
Back in Paris, after a busy first week, the Didis were able to rest with Father Laurent’s mother and sisters before continuing their marathon. In particular, they worked alongside Father Laurent at the Jeanne d’Arc high school to introduce the students gathered there to our association. It was a great success: the young people were very interested and curious, and asked lots of questions.
The following day, our delegation visited Comgest. Comgest is an endowment fund that supports social, educational and environmental projects and has been supporting us for a number of years. The aim of the meeting was to talk about the Comgest Foundation, what has been achieved at Bakuabari in 2023 thanks to their donations and the various future projects for HSP. It was also a question of presenting ourselves physically to show this foundation that the project in which they are investing is concrete.
Throughout the week, the former HSP volunteers, who were delighted to welcome three Indian friends to France, took it in turns to show them around Paris and the surrounding area: Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the bateau-mouche on the Seine, the parks, backstage at the Opéra Garnier, etc. They were also able to find out about the work of some of the volunteers and relax.
Chintadi discovered all this with wonder, while Sabitadi and Daliyadi deepened their knowledge of French culture. Daliyadi, in particular, rediscovered the taste of espresso coffee (and was speechless). A huge thank you to all the volunteers, families and HSP alumni who organized themselves, took turns and made themselves available to brighten up these two weeks, despite their professional activities and occupations. The Didis are very grateful to have had such a great time and to see you again.
Our delegation also had the opportunity to broadcast on Radio Notre-Dame Orient Extrême. It was a wonderful and rich experience for the Didis, who were able to discover the studios, the atmosphere and the stress of live recordings. They had also had this experience a few days earlier on the ‘RCF’ radio station (Radio Chrétienne Francophone) when they were in Lyon.
To round off this crazy French tour, we met up at the MEP for one of the biggest events of the tour. The MEP was decked out in Indian colours for the day. Many former volunteers were present, as well as numerous visitors who had come to discover HSP. There was a photo exhibition on the mission, a film screening, a presentation of the association, the sale of handicrafts and an Indian dance. More than 150 people attended the event, which was a great success. It was a joy to get together and simply share.
Here are the Didis surrounded by former MEP, Fidesco and other volunteers, with an age range that reflects the family spirit of our association. There are many stories to tell and memories to recall. The years spent at HSP were rich and deeply marked the lives of these volunteers, who were delighted to enjoy an evening with the Didis.
After these stops in Paris and Lyon, our four representatives flew to Switzerland. The first stop was Geneva, then finally Couvet, where they were able to meet friends from Calcutta during a testimonial evening in the Couvet chapel alongside Father Paulino and our faithful friend and donor Giuliano.
The visits to Switzerland followed one another at breakneck speed by train and in the car loaned by our dear Alibaba. Here’s an overview of their stops:
- A day’s rest in Saint Prex at the home of Hélène Bataillard from the Lumilo foundation.
- Off to Aarau to meet Melanie Doutaz, Shishur Asha and its members. The Father and the Didis gave a presentation at the end of the mass.
- A meeting with members of SASPI (Action Suisse soutenant des projets scolaires et sociaux en Inde) in Môtiers, hosted by Stéphanie Perregaux, President.
All these meetings gave rise to exchanges, shared meals, walks, celebrations and conferences. Since their return, the Didis have continued to tell us how exceptionally well received they were. They have been deeply touched by the joy, sharing and gentleness of all the donors. Many thanks to all those who made these meetings so memorable.
To finish the tour, the Didis flew to Alsace to meet our local partners: Terre des Hommes Alsace. A big lunch was held with the 250 volunteers from the association, followed by a testimonial from the Didis and the father. It was a great day of joy and sharing, with special thanks to Corine and Simon for their dedication.
With their hearts full of memories, the Didis set off for home, delighted to have been able to contribute to raising the profile of HSP and to have been a living testimony to it.
Thank you !
