The Dassa farm project is now well underway (see its objectives and content as written last April in “Our achievements”). Four hectares have been cleared of the fifteen planned. Construction work on the building is well underway, and corn and market gardening (onions, melons, lettuce, carrots, zucchinis,
radishes) are growing well, as are the 2,300 banana plants recently transplanted, as the photos attest.
>>>More details about this project
We just start a new fundraising campaign to build on this land the farm of Dassa in Benin. The following link will explain the objectives for our African partner. Please help us!
In 2022, important visits by colleagues to our partner focused on training. Suzanne and Martine toured the centers in Benin to learn more about the environment in which the people to be trained live, according to their respective skills: financial management, secretarial work and training centre
managers. Training days followed at the Calavi Center. Solange also did the same last June for the clinical organization of patient services, especially for those with dual problems of drug addiction and mental illness. In short, a significant investment was made this year in the governance of the Saint-Camille at the request of Grégoire and his team. We responded: present!
Enclosed is the report of our activities as it was adopted at our Annual General Meeting. Here is the link:
>>>>READ IT!
Dr. Benoît Des Roches, psychiatrist and member of our organization just published that book.
Who is Benoît Des Roches?
Benoit is a community psychiatrist in the suburbs of Montreal. For the past 10 years, he has been going to Benin every year to meet Grégoire as a volunteer for 3 to 4 weeks. He provides consultation and training to the workers, accompanies Gregoire and participates in conferences with him in the country or elsewhere. At the request of the latter, he wrote this book in which he puts his professional (psychiatrist) and spiritual (catholic believer) perspective. He also relates Gregory’s personal journey from his childhood. We read how this man became the caregiver, the fighter, the entrepreneur and the visionary that he is today.
The reference for this book: Le Regard qui Libère, ed. Salvator, Paris, 2022. It is currently on sale on Amazon and in the following bookstores:
– In Quebec City: Médiaspaul, Laliberté, Morency, Renaud-Bray Galeries de la Capitale and Renaud-Bray Sainte-Foy bookstores
– In Sherbrooke: Médiaspaul and GGC bookstores
– In Gatineau: Renaud-Bray Promenades Gatineau and Rose-Marie bookstores
– In Montreal: Médiaspaul, Paulines, Bertrand Foucher Bélanger, Monet and Renaud-Bray Côte-des-Neiges bookstores.
We took advantage of Grégoire’s visit to New Orleans to organize meetings for him in Québec between May 13 and 20 2022.
Why New Orleans?
To receive the prestigious Chester Pierce Award from the American Psychiatric Association at their annual convention. This association brings together the majority of American psychiatrists and others from abroad. Grégoire had the privilege of presenting the opening lecture. He was accompanied by Dr. Benoît Des Roches, a Quebec psychiatrist who knows the Association St. Camille well. , “Treatment Not Chains“, an American organization that supports the Association St. Camille, provided an information booth to promote networking with people and organizations in the United States.
And his stay in Quebec?
28 events were organized as forums. Once again, these were opportunities to let people know about the situation of people suffering from mental disorder in Africa, but more important still to make known the “Saint-Camille solution” to restore their health and dignity. Partnerships were consolidated and new ones were formed, thus expanding our network.
Our fundraising campaign launched on April 1st was a success. It allowed us to carry out all of our desired projects. THANK YOU to our members and partners who responded positively to our call.
Les Amis de la Saint-Camille wishes to offer its sympathies to the family and friends of Denis Renaud, who passed away on December 5th. Denis, together with his wife Suzanne Ladouceur, was the founder of our organization. When Grégoire Ahongbonon came to Québec for the first time in 2001, Denis and Suzanne helped form a small informal group to support the work of this great African. They maintained this support group until it became our formal NGO in 2011.
A BIG THANK YOU Denis for your unwavering commitment, together with that of your life partner Suzanne. Your work is invaluable.
Medical and dental equipment and supplies, medicines, storage equipment and bicycles will be loaded
into a container from Collaboration Santé Internationale for shipment to Cotonou, Benin. The bicycles
come from the NGO Cyclo-Nord-Sud. The Roncalli International Foundation will cover shipping costs.
The Adjarra Health Center in Benin will be the major beneficiary, while the shipment will also meet
some of the needs of treatment and recovery centres in Benin and Togo. The contents of the container
have been provided at no charge, but their value exceeds $100,000; the shipping costs are $11,000.
