They are three second-year students at the EDJ in Nice. Anne-Lise Tricoche, Manon François, and Sylvie Ferreira are heading to Gabon to conduct a humanitarian mission as part of their supervised project. From March 8 to 17, you can follow their experience on Nice-Premium.
The three young women will be spending ten days in Libreville (the country’s capital) as volunteers with the Elat association, which works for the education and development of disadvantaged children placed in orphanages. “Elat” means solidarity in the Fang language.
“I had always wanted to go on a humanitarian trip; we all have that desire. Last year, in June, I went to inquire through an agency on Masséna, but it was extremely expensive; you had to pay for the plane ticket, registration fees, and accommodation. I found it a shame that volunteering became a sort of business. When I heard Anne-Lise introduce herself, she told us she had lived for 15 years in Gabon, so I later asked her if she knew any orphanages, and that’s how the idea for the project was born,” says Sylvie.
While initially a personal impulse, the students sought a way to bring a journalistic aspect to the project. During their stay, they will organize workshops about journalism with the children. They will also visit several local newsrooms to see how they operate. Due to the requirements of the supervised project, several media productions will be broadcast throughout the trip, notably on our site Nice-Premium.
The name of the project, “Les yeux océan” (Ocean Eyes), refers to a specific definition that Manon explains: “The ocean is one of the symbols of Gabon, represented by the blue color of the national flag. For the eyes, we thought of the innocent and kind gaze of a child.”
While Gabon is one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, partly thanks to its mineral resources, it also suffers from endemic problems that should not be forgotten. “Children left to fend for themselves is a problem among others. It’s like that almost everywhere in Africa. It is one of the richest countries in Africa, but we tend to forget what’s behind that. Gabon is a gilded cage,” recalls Anne-Lise.
