On June 6, for the third consecutive year, the Dijon Fnac store organised the –now famous- Solidarity Fair. Books, CDs, DVDs and reflex cameras, sold at very low prices, attracted 1,100 visitors. The event, which is one of the major solidarity actions in Dijon, aims both at making easier the access to culture and new technologies and supporting the actions of the French association Secours Populaire to the benefits of the underprivileged families. €10,000 in 2008, €21,000 in 2009… this year €30,000 have been collected thanks to the mobilisation of the Fnac employees and the Secours Populaire volunteers! This amount will enable to offer 600 activities days this summer to the children who do not go on holidays. Congratulations and see you next year!

Will the poorest in South Africa benefit from the World Cup? How are the footballs produced?  Zidane, Thuram, Lizarazu: what are these “committed champions” really doing? As the World Cup is also playing on values, ethic and social field, Youphil.com, the solidarities’ media, invites you to surf on its dedicated website. During 2 months, journalists, columnists, bloggers and partner sport organisations will propose a series of articles talking about sport and education, peace and fight against exclusion. Keep informing!

Launched in 2008, the Social Entrepreneurs Awards support social entrepreneurship projects in favour of women, their families and their communities. On June 9, 2010, the PPR Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights rewarded 3 social entrepreneurs for their entrepreneurial qualities as well as for the economic viability and social added value of their projects. Aside from a financial grant of €15,000 each, the three winning social entrepreneurs will also receive personal and business sponsoring and guidance from a PPR Group staff member.

Discover the laureates and their projects:

• Sakina M’Sa created the Trevo workshop, a work-based and “beauty-based” dressmaking integration enterprise dedicated to women with limited access to employment, and located in the low-income Goutte d’Or district in Paris. The workshop aims to promote small trades involving manual and traditional know-how in the world of Fashion.

• Anne Roos-Weil is co-founder of the Pesinet association fighting against infant and maternal mortality in Mali. The NGO has created a community e-healthcare service offering prevention, early detection and treatment of simple illnesses at an affordable cost to the families, via regular follow-ups of health information. It relies on a local network of women acting as community health workers. 

• Maria-Teresa Leal is the founder of Coopa Roca, a cooperative of women living in La Rocinha favela, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The seamstresses and artisans create pieces for the fashion and design sectors, using traditional embroidery and craft techniques from northern Brazil. They work at home, and generate additional income for their household.

More information about the Social Entrepreneurs Awards

Picture: Eric Lefeuvre

The Salon des Solidarités will gather 150 exhibitors from different solidarity sectors around three poles dedicated to projects, resources and services providers at the “Porte de Versailles” in Paris. General public and professionals will have the opportunity to meet the actors of the solidarity field and to take part to activities, conferences and workshops. Le Secours Populaire Français, France Volontaires, la Voûte Nubienne and Compter sur Demain, which are all PPR Foundation’s partners, will be there.

More information on the official fair website

In February 2008, the organisation AVN was Social Entrepreneurs Award for the PPR Foundation. Two years later, the NGO is at the Universal Exhibition en China… Watch the video of the organisation, broadcasted on the UNESCO booth in Shanghai.