Founded and led by Hafida Abidar, the Moms collective weaves social ties in the districts of Bourges

"The association was completely upside down," she explains with a slightly mischievous smile.We acted before being structured.We started by going to the field, everywhere, where the needs were immense.And it was only then, in a second step, that we built the foundations and the framework of the collective.»»

To listen to Hafida, everything seems simple, obvious, bright."All that," she recalls, "started in El Qantara.Each year, my dance class gave a show on which everyone had worked hard.And the children performed with the same costumes, year after year… ”»

Autour de la chorégraphe, un noyau résolu de parents d’élèves, «surtout des mamans»», est entré en scène pour habiller de neuf les petites vedettes.A nice calendar has been made, sold to the Chancellery (where El Qantara is based), then around.The Saint-Jean parish invited mothers to its Christmas market, where their homemade cakes and the small show of children were acclaimed.The same ones set up a memorable artistic and gastronomic gala at the end of 2018 which filled the village hall in the neighborhood.Well established, the troop was transported to the Gibjoncs to hold the first flea market of El Qantara.

The Moms collective carried out an operation for the benefit of the poorest in six Berruyers supermarkets

«On n’a pas ménagé nos efforts, mais tout ça mis bout à bout a permis de financer la confection de près de soixante-dix costumes de scène flambant neufs !»» conclut Hafida.

Collective sense, values, fights

Beyond the mission accomplished, the adventure has demonstrated to mothers that their collective sense, their values (solidarity, secularism ...) and their fights (against precariousness, violence against women, isolation, exclusion…) Inscribed them in the social fabric of neighborhoods and the city."We have, then, initiated several actions," recalls Hafida Abidar.We organized, for example, a little parent-child trip to the Institute of the Arab World, in Paris.And there have occurred the covid and the first confinement ... "»

The Moms collective was at the Chancellery Social Center to help women in need

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Today, she believes that it was "an evil for a good"».The mothers put the pandemic to profit to regenerate, find a second breath, emancipate themselves from El Qantara."An office of a dozen people (*) was formed with a brand new momentum!"»

The collective participated in the International Women's Rights Day, the 8Mars 2020. «On a invité des femmes à témoigner, on a décliné autour du bien-être au féminin en proposant des ateliers de coiffure, de maquillage, de massage, on a organisé un défilé de mode…»» Deux mois durant, chaque week-end, les Mamans ont aussi soutenu les personnels épuisés de l’hôpital George-Sand en leur servant des repas mitonnés par leurs soins.

Ever more support

Via maraudes, the initiative has extended to around one hundred and thirty people in pre -operated or COVVID, almost everywhere on the outskirts of Bourges.The donations collected on social networks is no longer enough, the Grand Frais stores entered the loop, then Biocoop, the merchants of the Wednesday market at the Chancellery, the bakery-pastry section of the apprentice training center (CFA)).

Today, the action of mothers and the precious social fabric that they scraped on a daily basis continue with the support of the city of Bourges, the Communal Center for Social Action (CCAS), of the Tivoli space, from the Associative CenterGibjoncs, the hamlet of Fraternity.

En janvier dernier, le Collectif, qui se réunissait jusqu’alors «chez Patàpain ou dans le restaurant My Grill, fermé par le Covid»», a emménagé dans ses locaux de la rue Jean-Moulin. Pour Noël dernier, les Mamans, plus motivées que jamais, ont bien failli être débordées par le succès de leurs «boîtes-cadeaux»» collectées et distribuées aux plus démunis, ceux qui ne reçoivent rien.In this memorable operation, schools in Bourges, the MJC d'Asnières, Leroy-Merlin and dozens of individuals had given the hand.

Many other actions are planned, already even launched for some as on the weekend of the 13 and 14 November, which will decline the words of women."In the world," notes Hafida Abidar, no one is useless if it lightens the burden of others.This is the credo of mothers.»Their roadmap: solidarity, education and culture.Everywhere, and for everyone.

(*) Set there Karima, Sabrina, Aïcha, Anissa, Delphine, Cécile, Fatima, Saïda and Mina.The Moms collective brings together around fifty members.Contact: 06.51.83.43.30 ;collectiveDesMamans18@gmail.com

Emmanuel LETREULLE