Children in hospital in France: a chain of solidarity

“It’s an incredible, rich experience,” says Elisabeth Traumat, who has become a volunteer host family. volunteer host family for the first time in the summer of 2022.

For two months, she and her husband welcomed Ornella, a one-year-old Togolese girl taken in by La Chaîne de l’Espoir for heart surgery at Bordeaux University Hospital. As part of the Care for Children in France program, volunteer host families look after sick children as soon as they arrive in France, accompany them to all their medical appointments, assist them during hospitalization and take care of them once they return home until their state of health allows them to return to their country of origin.

” I never thought Ornella would become so attached to us, and we to her. I’ll always remember the moment she dared to give us her first smile… “continues Elisabeth Traumat. ” Every welcome is unique, because every child is different. But in every case, it’s a mutually enriching experience. confirms Claudine Moriclet, a volunteer foster carer in Nantes since 2008. What’s more, it’s always a story that involves the whole family, and even the whole entourage. In our case, we wouldn’t have done it if our own children hadn’t joined in too. But we don’t regret it, because these are wonderful moments of sharing, where we learn to live together, with respect for customs, cultures, languages… But, of course, you have to be prepared, because it’s not a smooth ride…” she adds.

Children arriving in France for surgery are very ill, often tired and disoriented, and don’t necessarily speak French. These are not simple stories, and you have to give a lot of yourself, be available 24 hours a day, and always be less than half an hour from the hospital…” adds Elisabeth Traumat. So it’s important to think carefully before taking the plunge, and to feel strong emotionally, psychologically and physically. And, above all, you need to be well supported, and not hesitate to ask questions of other foster families, as well as the La Chaîne de l’Espoir teams who are there to support you. “

This same bond of trust unites volunteers, caregivers and families in the Accompagnement des enfants hospitalisés program. Its aim is to enable children in hospital in France whose parents are unable to be present (mainly due to geographical distance or difficult family circumstances) to receive regular visits from “sun godmothers or godfathers”. These volunteers commit themselves to visiting a hospitalized child several times a week, following the child throughout his or her stay.

“For everyone, hospitalization is a source of anxiety. Imagine a child alone, far from his parents, explains Viviane Zumsteeg, coordinator of the program on La Réunion. So having someone, always the same person, come to see him several times a week to listen to him, to show him affection, to amuse him, to share a moment of life, to create a bond… this can really change the course of his hospitalization. ”

Jean-Claude Mangou has been through this experience a dozen times since becoming a Sun Sponsor in 2008: “ I see my role as that of a companion. It’s a unique position, in fact, because I’m the only one who plays the role of an “ordinary” person with the child, i.e. without a white coat, without the daily preoccupation of caring for him. I’m there to accompany him, take his mind off things and, if possible, introduce him to life outside the hospital, to prepare him for “normal” life. In the end, it’s a very humble commitment, but one that brings me so much joy… “