L'Amade
On 11 and 12 April 2018, the AMADE annual Conference was held in the Principality. It was the opportunity for the association to gather its network of partners to exchange their programmes, share good practices and discuss the launching of new initiatives for children.
At the opening of this conference, the Board of Directors of AMADE, under the presidency of H.R.H. The Princess of Hanover, wanted, for 2018, to renew its support for several ongoing projects, such as the care of young girls who were victims of abuse, the schooling of orphans and vulnerable children, and the psychosocial and psychological care of unaccompanied migrant minors in Italy.
Since 2013, year of adoption of its new intervention strategy, AMADE has mobilized € 3,097,182 for projects in the areas of child protection against violence, exploitation and abuse, access to education, access to health, as well as emergency and post-emergency assistance in favour of refugee migrant children or minors who left armed groups. These programmes now directly benefit almost 50,000 children.
The Board of Directors of AMADE wanted to strengthen its intervention by adopting a three-year planning (2018-2020) based on four flagship programmes under AMADE's initiative, namely: "Capoeira for Peace", "Dignity for Women", "Energy of Hope" and "Unaccompanied Migrants (UAMs)".
The "Capoeira for Peace" programme, launched in 2014 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in partnership with UNICEF and MONUSCO for the benefit of children who left armed groups, will help extend the dissemination of expertise gained around the practice of Capoeira as a vector for supporting social and psychosocial reintegration of other vulnerable children: children accused of witchcraft, street children, and girls who were victims of sexual violence.
The "Dignity for Women" programme, initiated following the H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover’s visit to the DRC in 2016, aims to enable girls and women to access feminine hygiene products, prevent abuse and provide medical and psychological care for those who were victims of sexual violence, in addition to monitoring their social reintegration and promoting their access to secondary education in this region of the world where rape is used as a weapon of war against civilians.
In this context, AMADE will finance this year in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in partnership with the Heal Africa Foundation, a mother-child room for the medical care of young girls who were victims of sexual abuse.
Furthermore, AMADE is convinced that the issue of access to energy in Africa represents a real opportunity in terms of childhood development. The aim of the "Energy of Hope" programme is to promote children's access to sustainable and high-quality energy and enable them, their families, and also their teachers to access content and applications that address the causes AMADE supports (education, health, protection).
Particular attention will be devoted to the identification, development, and distribution of an adapted digital offer which address the access to primary and secondary education, prevention of maternal and child mortality and enables birth registrations.
In addition, in the triennial planning AMADE reiterates its commitment to unaccompanied migrant children arriving in Europe through the "Unaccompanied Migrants" programme, which aims to provide the UAMs, as they arrive in Europe in emergency situation, legal support and psychosocial assistance, ensuring the protection of their rights during their stay, as well as promote the professional and social integration of young migrants who are able to settle in Europe and support the prevention of migration in the countries of origin.
Thus, this year, AMADE supports the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in conducting a study on the situation of UAMs in France and Belgium, whose initial results were shared by Mr. Ralph Gruenert, UNHCR Representative in France and Monaco.
The conference, organized this year in four thematic workshops: "Protection, Post-emergency and Education", "Resource Mobilisation", "Energy and Digital Access" and "Health", brought together implementing partners and experts in the areas AMADE intervenes, as well as donors and companies engaged with AMADE in accordance with their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
At the end of this two-day meeting, the Board of Directors visited in Ventimiglia the “Campo Roya”, a reception camp for migrants managed by the Italian Red Cross. This field trip was the occasion to visit the space designed by AMADE and the Monaco Red Cross especially for migrant children and their families, as well as meet and interact with minors in transit that are receiving legal and psychosocial assistance provided by Terre des Hommes Italy thanks to the funds granted by AMADE and the support of both Italian Red Cross and Monaco Red Cross volunteers.
AMADE was pleased to welcome this year, at the conference, the following partners:
- Mrs. Awa Ndiaye SECK, Representative of UN Women in the DRC,
- Mr. Ralph GRUENERT, Representative of UNHCR in France and Monaco,
- Mrs. Ann AVRIL, Fundraising Manager, UNICEF France,
- Mrs. Federica GIANNOTTA, Head of Advocacy and Programmes, Terre des Hommes Italy,
- Sister Sophie de Jesus, President, ACAY,
- Mrs. Meriem ADBELLI
- Mrs. Sonia MAHDID
- Mrs. Ange MBONEYE, Major Donors Assistant, SOS SAHEL,
- Mrs. Emilie TREUILLARD, Major Donors Director, FAIRCOM USA,
- Mr. Rémi Vallet, Director of Sponsorship, Philanthropy & Legs, APF France,
- Mr. Maxence CHABANNE, Co-founder of LAGAZEL,
- Mr. Barnabé LOUCHE, Director of Partnerships, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF),
- Dr. Véronique Inès THOUVENOT, Co-Founder and Scientific Director, Millenia2025 Women and Innovation Foundation,
- Mr. Adama SAWADOGO, General Manager, Icivil,
- Mr. Paul MUGAMBI, General Manager, Kytabu,
- Mrs. Morgane BENARD, Head of the Energy Access Department, Sunna Design,
- Mr. Fabrice MARQUET, Director, MonacoTech,
- Mrs. Juliette DIEUSAERT, President, French Association of Friedreich's Ataxia (AFAF),
- Mr. Guillaume LE DUC, Development Manager, ALIMA,
- Mr. Neil WETZIG, Councilor, Heal Africa,
- Dr. Marnix CLAEYS, President, See & Smile.