French Students Brighten Lives Of Burundi Refugees
Virginie Breton is a second-grade teacher in Saint Vincent du Lorouër, a small town located in Western France. Her 19 students have been exchanging letters with students from Vision second-chance school in Bujumbura, Burundi since September 2007.
She decided to join RESPECT's Letter Exchange Program after Magali Pichon – whose first-grade class is also involved in the program – encouraged her to do so. Reluctant at first, Virginie accepted the challenge and sent out a first batch of letters in October 2007.
The package included a letter written as a group, personal profile sheets made by both classes, a written summary of a recent tour of the Saint Vincent du Lorouër castle, pictures drawn by the first graders, a poem based on the second graders' first names, and maps of their classroom, the school and the town along with pictures and a group photo of Virginie's students.
The package reached La Vision school only in early December because it was held in customs. And since it weighed more than one kilo (about 2.2 pounds), around €6 EUR (about $9.63 CAD or $9.34 USD) in custom duties were due. Claudel Nkunda, the director of La Vision school, was unable to pay those fees.
In order to resolve the situation, Virginie and her class organized a fundraiser at the Christmas market and were able to collect €180 EUR (about $283.92 CAD or $280.25 USD) by selling holiday cards. This amount was enough not only to allow Claudel to claim their package, but also two other packages sent by French schools being held for the same reasons.
La Vision students – Bujumbura, Burundi.
The first package sent by Virginie and Magali Pichon's classes was received with much joy, excitement, and curiosity, and with many comments by the students involved in RESPECT's letter exchange program.
Some of them couldn't believe that children from a country so far away actually cared about them. The pictures they received made them want to learn more about their pen pals, their town, and their lives.
A return package was soon prepared by La Vision school and arrived quickly, thanks to Julien Guillemard, a United Nations volunteer in Burundi, who offered to take it with him on the plane. Julien then gave the package to Jacques Chaumont, a former colleague and senator, who delivered it in person to the school in Saint Vincent du Lorouër.
There too, it was received with much curiosity and excitement. The package included personal letters, a collective letter, and pictures. Virginie explained that when the students saw the pictures, their initial excitement quickly subsided as they became aware of the living conditions the photos illustrated.
They started drawing comparisons between these conditions and theirs. They were also very surprised by the fact that black and white pictures were attached to some of the personal profile sheets when they're so used to seeing color pictures.
In addition to the letter exchange, the second-graders also organized another fundraiser, selling flowers, to help Claudel purchase equipment.
The funds they had collected by selling holiday cards at the Christmas market were also used to organize the party that took place January 15, 2008. All La Vision students, their teachers and their parents, as well as United Nations representatives and members of various organizations were present.
The party was a great example of the support the Saint Vincent du Lourouër school has provided to La Vision students. A lot of the people present were amazed at all the hard work the small French school had done to help the Burundian students and promote solidarity and open-mindedness.
The Burundian students also felt comforted by the idea that other children who live far away care about them and are involved in this type of personal and cultural exchange.
Two weeks ago, Virginie's class mailed a second package that included individual letters, some pictures drawn as part of a children's rights project, pictures taken at an exhibition, an essay about a second grader's day at the Saint Vincent du Lourouër school, and some balloons (see photo).
They're hoping everything will go smoothly this time. Virginie is very happy to have chosen to participate in a letter exchange with La Vision school and with her relationship with Claudel.
They talk about the project about once a week and share their opinions on various topics having to do with Internet communication. This allows them to find solutions to problems quickly and to adapt the letter exchange project to suit their own plans.
For instance, the pictures and letters sent by the Burundian pen pals helped Virginie's students realize how lucky they were to live in a developed country like France, and that not everyone is given this chance.
This allowed Virginie to discuss children's rights with her class and the comments the students had when they opened the package sent by La Vision students served as a starting point to an analysis and a comparison of other cultures and ways of life.