Helping the Imagine Heroes

Imagine Heroes are those ordinary people who do extraordinary things, in a humble way and most often without being noticed. They are committed to a more humane, sustainable and fair society. For more than 10 years, Le Projet Imagine has been bringing them to light through inspiring films and by offering them financial support.
Although this year has been very challenging, many of you encouraged us to maintain this side of our mission. And like a beautiful river flowing from many small streams, your combined donations allowed us to donate 30 000€ to 5 non-profit organizations! So we would like to congratulate you for your ongoing mobilization, and to thank you for your trust. In return, we would like to share a description of the actions that your support will make possible on the field.

A FOODTRUCK FOR THE HOMELESS PEOPLE

8 000 € to Laurent Eyzat – ACTION FROID

“During the lock-down… many non-profit organizations were left in a stupor and were unable to resume field work until they got organized. As bars & restaurants were closed, and as fountains and toilets were shut down, you can figure how desperate people were in the streets of our big cities. We didn’t give up and kept doing our job like hummingbirds by tripling our street outreach in several cities, thanks to people I like to refer to as ” amazing people.”».”  Laurent Eyzat

Under the guidance of Laurent Eyzat, Action Froid has been supporting since 2012 the most disadvantaged people by organizing citizens’ street campaigns in more than twenty cities in France. These campaigns involve distributing food, hygiene products and clothes… but also listening, exchanging and sharing moments of friendship with homeless people. The organization is now working on a foodtruck project ! Our donation will help financing the purchase of professional heating/reheating and keeping-warm equipment for the foodtruck. 

PROTECTING THE LAST GIRAFFES IN WEST AFRICA

4 500 € to Pierre Gay – BIOPARC DE DOUAY LA FONTAINE

“Pour sauver la nature, il faut aider les hommes.”
Pierre Gay

While terrorism has added to the many difficulties – climate, health, economy… – experienced by the Niger population, Pierre Gay has not given up! Tirelessly, this biodiversity protection pioneer continues to work with the villagers in order to improve their quality of life while preserving the last giraffes in West Africa. And it works! Whereas there were only 49 giraffes left in the region in 1996, their number now reaches more than 700! Our donation will allow us to pay the farmers and provide them with the means to restore the plant life needed to feed the giraffes on a dozen hectares.

SAVING PYGMY CHILDREN FROM STARVATION

8 000 € to ASLAV, a non-profit organization led by Doctor Michel Salefran

For the past 15 years, ASLAV, a non-profit medical organization operating in the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), has been training caregivers (doctors, assistants, nurses), building dispensaries and providing medicines and medical-surgical equipment to the “forest peoples” who live in the north of the country, in the Likouala region.

This particularly isolated population has a life expectancy of… 35 years! Every month, a dispensary boat goes around the villages to carry out medical consultations, vaccinations, help with childbirth and even organize repatriation… Our aid will allow the local manager, Sister Ventura, an Imagine Heroine, to buy pediatric medicines and therapeutic milk. Last year, ASLAV took care of 2,800 malnourished children, including 680 who were deemed condemned in the short term.

Informing with Hope

RESTORING THE LIVING

Because it aims at restoring the victim while rehabilitating the offender and bringing back social peace, Restorative Justice provides a particularly interesting alternative to the traditional criminal justice system. Indeed, this particular way of focusing on people has proved valuable in several countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Belgium, Great Britain and Canada, where it has been in use for over 30 years. 
Wherever this method is implemented, there is a significant reduction in re-offending rates. Thanks to the fantastic work performed by IFJR, and to our film which, since 2011, has cast the spotlight on this innovative concept, Restorative Justice is now included in the French code of criminal procedure.

Despite this decisive breakthrough, there remains much to be done mainly due to the lack of means. Therefore, our financial support will help support the roll-out of the concept in metropolitan France and overseas. The IFJR will be able to develop its training program for mediators.  
To find out more, we suggest you watch or re-watch the film Imagine that we dedicated to the issue here.

RESILIENCE FOR THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF SERIOUSLY ILL CHILDREN

When a child suffers from a serious illness and/or a severe handicap, there are many consequences for the family. There is a specific impact on siblings, who often become withdrawn. Indeed, it may feel illegitimate to express one’s needs, worries, anger, feelings… in view of what the young patient and his/her parents are going through. This little-known issue was addressed by Muriel Scibilia in her new book entitled “Sortir de l’ombre : les frères et les soeurs des enfants gravement malades” (Bringing the brothers and sisters of seriously ill children out of the shadows). By sharing the testimonies of 12 young adults and the insight of a dozen experts (child psychiatrists, oncologists, historians of siblings…), this book suggest key clues on how to act so that  the brothers and sisters of seriously ill children are no longer collateral victims.

To make the voices of young patients heard, we had already supported Muriel Scibilia’s previous book “Côté nuit côté soleil: des jeunes racontent leur traversée du cancer” published in 2014*. “Bringing the brothers and sisters of seriously ill children out of the shadows “* is the natural follow-up. The author’s rights are donated to research on childhood cancer via the French-Swiss association “Enfance & Cancer”.
 
* The two books are available on order in all bookshops and major retailers: FNAC, Cultura, Leclerc…

Your generosity is essential to support our mission.

You can also make a donation by writing a check – addressed to “Les Amis du Projet Imagine”
and send it to: Les Amis du Projet Imagine – 4 rue Saint-Saëns – 75 015 Paris.

Every donation is golden.
By joining forces, we will do great things together!