Study trip to Paris

As a part of this year's education program, a study trip to the Secours Catholique / Caritas France was organized for project managers of Caritas St. Petersburg on April 9-13, 2012. It was attended by managers of our social projects for low-income, disabled and addicted / co-addicted people.

The trip goal was to make our project leaders acquainted with the organization of HIV/AIDS relief in France, with various types of assistance, networking, government support, etc.

Our employees visited various institutions and associations that deal with HIV and AIDS issues: Centre Beaurepaire of Association Charonne, Arcat, URACA, Ikambere, Gaia and Association des Cités du Secours Catholique.

The project leaders highlighted the following:

-We got an overview of the social assistance system, prevention and HIV/AIDS treatment measures and relief to the addicted in France;

- The collaboration of government and nonprofit organizations on the HIV/AIDS issues is exemplary: there is a collaborative network of organizations that effectively solve the problems of those affected;

-Encouraging is the high level of support of non-profit organizations by the government; particularly noteworthy are initiatives of ordinary people on social issues;

-The skills and competencies of the employees are very high; there are trustful relations between social workers and their beneficiaries;

-The state medical care is accessible to every French citizen, whether it is a homeless man or an immigrant;

-Especially interesting is the work of the Association des Cités du Secours Catholique and their therapeutic apartments, where people having a difficult life situation can be accommodated and take advantage of psychological, medical and social aids.

Impressions from the study trip:

"Paris met us with a cool, rainy weather, probably with the intention that we don’t get carried away by the atmosphere of the most romantic city in the world, but concentrate us on work. However, Paris is beautiful in the rain as well, and even better are the people we might get to know. They are high-class professionals with good and open hearts. Many thanks to our friends in France! "

"Many thanks to Ana and Armelle for the organization of the study trip. It was an enriching experience for me. I will implement in my work the experience of working on the same level between a social worker and a beneficiary."

"It is a pity that the five days of the study trip have passed so quickly. Everything was first class: the visits of institutions, as well as our long talks and evenings in Paris restaurants. Armelle and Ana, welcome to St. Petersburg!"

"Thanks for the wonderful organization of the study trip and the opportunity to see Paris."