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An outing to the theatre
A blue minibus with a Valaisian number plate parks in front of the cathedral in Lausanne. Joyful sounds and impatient cries can be heard coming from the bus. Slowly, a group of around fifteen children aged between three and fifteen emerge. Once they have all put their anoraks on the troop begins to hobble along, supervised by two adults, towards an old building in the old part of town. They have a meeting with three penguin friends on the ice field.
It is a Sunday afternoon in the month of May and this colourful troop is going to the “petit théâtre” to see the play “L’Arche part à huit heures”. The children are from Africa and Iraq and are convalescing at the Tdh-Valais children’s home in Massongex. Back in their home country they suffered from incurable illnesses and have been given life-saving operations by the university hospitals in Geneva, Lausanne and Bern.
In partnership with local institutions, le petit théâtre donates about fifteen free tickets to Terre des hommes children. So three times a year, those children whose health allows it are invited to spend an afternoon in this magical place dedicated solely to an audience of young audience.
After three shows – which the children were able to watch for free – Marc Weil, head of the Terre des hommes Specialized Health Care Programme and Sophie Gardaz, director of the petit théâtre, who began this excellent initiative, are happy with how the partnership is unfolding:“This outing to the theatre is a way of offering each child a breath of fresh air in the light of their illness.”
Every year, Terre des hommes offers sustainable solutions and a better future for over two million children and their relatives. Learn more about our specialised treatment projects (http://www.tdh.ch/en/topics/health/specialised-care).
