Island of Réunion
The Movement ATD Fourth World has been operating on the Island of Réunion since 1979. At first, the Movement concentrated on the poorest areas, but gradually it built relationships with extremely poor families from all over the Island. With the help of a large group of young people, in 1987, the Fourth World House representing Human Rights was built in Trois Bassins (a department of Réunion). 1989 marked the inauguration in St. Denis (administrative capital of Réunion), of the first replica of the Commemorative Stone in Honor of the Victims of Extreme Poverty.
The Movement in Réunion has the following major objectives:
Provide access to culture and encourage the taking part in public life:
Street libraries, gatherings, Fourth World People’s Universities , the celebration of the 17th October (International Day for the Education of Poverty) are perfect occasions to build relationships with those living in poverty, and to provide the latter with the chance to access knowledge and culture and be recognised as members of civil society.
Oversee the work of a group of young people from all over the Island who have been working with a choreographer and the singer Thierry Gauliris. Together, they have set up an artistic tour and compiled a CD of poems and songs.
Pilot Projects:
The Fourth World House representing Human Rights opened its doors on festive holidays in 2006. On these occasions, the Fourth World House became a central place for gatherings; exchange programs were set up, peaceful occasions on which host families and visiting families could exchange and share life experiences.
The aim of the association Groupe Accès aux droits fondamentaux (Association representing the Rights to Basic Human Rights) is to work alongside and support families living in poverty to assert their rights, rights which would not be granted without the help of the former. This association equally took part in the rehousing of families from the shantytown of Grande Fontaine.
The Movement is also a participant in the “Réseau de résistance et de propositions face à toute forme d’exclusion” (Association fighting social exclusion and proposing solutions to end all types of exclusion).
ATD Fourth World Reunion celebrates its thirtieth anniversary
