• Why did you decide to leave on this mission?

For a long time, I had been thinking about taking a holiday in a different environment, to really meet people. When I heard about the solidarity leaves offered by the PPR Foundation, I decided to try an adventure with a very practical goal in favour of women: building a maternity, and immediately signed in!

• How did you prepare for your mission?

I attended the preparation meeting organised by Coup de Pouce to explain practical aspects of the mission, coordinate administrative procedures and introduce the team members prior to departure. I was regularly in touch with the mission leader. And for the rest, I used Internet and a travel guide to search for information about Côte d’Ivoire and the national culture.

• Were you able to have personal exchanges with the population, and more specifically with women?

We were busy most of the time with the construction site which was the focus of everybody’s attention! We had many exchanges with the local workers and with the women who came to visit and even lend a hand sometimes: it was obvious that they really cared about the project! And I got close with three women of the health care staff who really gave us a wonderful lesson in life: in spite of limited resources, they are fighting relentlessly to cope with childbirth complications, with malaria and HIV.

• Can you tell us about one of the highlights of your mission?

One afternoon as we were returning to the job site, the whole place was deserted, nobody around including at the old maternity and we got worried. Then an hour later, we saw the midwife arrive carrying a newborn baby: the mother had actually given birth in the street on ntama wraps, because she didn’t make it in time to the maternity. She walked back home that same evening with her baby in arms to take care of her other children. An unforgettable memory!

• What did this experience bring you?

The most beautiful gift is to give your time, energy and your smile... and you receive hundred times more in return! It’s impossible for me now to imagine going on holidays without going on a mission! I can’t wait for July 2010 to leave again, and preferably to Africa once again.

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