Project :

Institute Notre Dame ACIS is a Center dealing with mentally disabled children and youngsters (light and deep). One can find there a residential service and a warm welcome during the day. Institute also offers a service of integration assistance which is addressed to young people aged from 7 to 18 years old presenting behaviour problems. Group workshops and individual follow-ups are set up to accompany them. Professionals from the institute use psychomotricity, psychoanalysis, behaviour analysis, hipotherapy techniques in order to help the youngsters to live with their handicap. The institution is located in a vast masonry from the 19th century surrounded with a large park which makes outdoor activities possible. Each year, volunteers come to help with the park maintenance, while bringing a little dynamism into the institute daily life.

Location :

Cerexhe-Euseux is a small village located 20 km away from the town of Liege and surrounded by green hills. The place is quite isolated, but connected to Liege by some daily buses. Germany and the Netherlands are also very close. The towns of Achen, Köln and Maastricht can be reach very easily and therefore are pretty city-trips projects. Within the wide range of local tourist curiosities, one can also visit the former coalmine of Blény Trambleur. It used to be one of the sources that made the richness of Belgium during the last century. With time, the reserves have however become exhausted. Today, it is possible to visit the mine and to go down, up to 60 meters under ground (Website: http://www.blegnymine.be ). During summer, many festivities are also organised in the area. Volunteers will be invited to take an active part in the Outre-Meuse festivals of August 15th (town of Liege).

Work :

Like each year, the volunteers will carry small maintenance work in the insitute. Painting and repairing benches, clearing in the park. They will also help to empty the attic of the institute and to carry out kilos of old papers that are stocked under the roof. It will, perhaps, be the occasion to find hidden treasures !!!

On august 14th and 15th, they will help institute’s team hosting a stand at the Outre-Meuse festival, the most cordial event in Wallonie (the French speaking part of Belgian).

Location :

Volunteers will accomodated in a big room of the insitute, with kitchen, toilets, shower, bathroom and beds. A hot meal, catered by the institute cooks, will be served every midday. For evening and week-ends, volunteers will prepare their own meals.

Meeting point :

Liège, Guillemins train station, Saturday 10th of August at 5pm.

Specific information :

There will be very few contacts with the residents