by Suzanne Baltazard
We are looking for hours of work in private homes: cleaning, DIY, gardening, childcare. Even if you only have a few hours a month to volunteer, get in touch! We know several trustworthy, competent people who need even a few hours of work.
We have been able to provide employment to two families. This allowed one family, who were living with their disabled child in a very precarious situation in collective housing, to afford to rent their own small apartment! They are extremely grateful to Lake Aid and we really wish to do the same for some other families we know well. With their own car, they have already been up to the ski resorts several times to help the Lake Aiders of Vanoise and Tarentaise, and we have received very good feedback about their work.
Even if you can only offer a few hours of work per month, a few hours here and there put all together could change someone’s life!
Currently we know the following families suitable for employment:
- An Albanian family with three sons, who have been living for three years in an extremely rudimentary emergency shelter (115). Their youngest boy, just 2 years old, suffers from a growth deficiency and wears a corset at night which prevents him from sleeping. The father (a building professional) and his older sons can do renovation work, and the mother can do cleaning or childcare work. However, she used to work in agriculture and takes care of one of the shared gardens obtained by Lake Aid. She would particularly like to help in this field. Her level of communication in French is good.
- A family known as Ukrainians (but in fact the mother is Georgian and the father Armenian – they got married in Ukraine) and who were living in their car (see our Facebook posts). They are temporarily hosted in a church in Sevrier where the three children are attending school. The father is an excellent mechanic (+ does DIY) and they are both efficient cleaners. They communicate well in French.
- An Armenian family also based in Sevrier. These are great people, who we want to help, even if their situation is a little less urgent since they are properly housed by the 115. The mother was a gynaecologist and, as well as cleaning work where she’s done very satisfactory work, she can look after children and cook (she understands French, although is still shy when speaking). The father is a very good handyman (25 years of experience doing interior renovations), and he likes gardening. The 19-year old daughter is charming and speaks good French – she would also like to work (childcare, cleaning, etc…)
- A family in Doussard with two children: Armenian father who can do DIY or painting and a Ukrainian mother who can do cleaning. Their situation has just been regularised so they can be employed by either individuals or businesses.