Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Our values
The Emmaus movement aims to tackle poverty through direct action and by fighting the causes of poverty with awareness raising initiatives, advocacy work and solidarity.
Solidarity Ragpickers and Builders
From the very start of our movement Emmaus’ initiatives focused on two main areas: welcoming the homeless and launching income-generating activities to help these people find dignity and live off the fruit of their labours (mainly through activities involving reuse and recycling).
The Emmaus groups offer solidarity using the profits from their activities, helping others to avoid falling into poverty. The groups regularly support other associations by donating equipment or by making a financial contribution. Some of our volunteer-led groups (mainly in northern Europe) focus almost entirely on international solidarity initiatives.
© Emmaus Preston
Welcome and reinsertion
The most commonly-known and most widespread, in Europe at least, of the different types of Emmaus groups is the Emmaus community. This model allows people who have been excluded from society to take back control of their lives by living and working together as a group. The communities also offer solidarity to those who are suffering the most.
A multi-facetted welcome
But the Emmaus groups have created many different ways of providing welcome to those who need it: temporary shelter, more permanent housing, get-back-to-work schemes, etc.
What these different initiatives have in common is that the person being welcomed will always have an active role and that the group will always adapt the activities to the needs of the person in question.
Political Campaigning and Working as part of a Network
In order to better tackle the causes of poverty Emmaus Europe has joined the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN).
Alongside such partners we can speak out at the European Union, ensuring that the voice of people living in poverty situations is heard by such institutions. The goal of these efforts is to influence policy-making in order to reduce the level of poverty in Europe.
Housing first
Emmaus defends a policy of long-term housing for people in street situations. On this matter the Abbé Pierre Foundation, named after the founder of Emmaus, leads very active advocacy work in France and also provides funding for projects led by the Emmaus groups, notably in Europe. On the European level the foundation works alongside FEANTSA (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless).
Solidarity Action on the European Level
Emmaus Europe coordinates the solidarity initiatives led on the European level by sending the groups an annual call for projects for any initiatives which may require support. Other interested European groups who can afford to do so then provide a financial contribution to these projects.
The Pooling of Resources
Emmaus Europe also serves as an intermediary between groups which collect a lot of material (furniture, objects, clothing, etc.) and those who only collect little, helping to redistribute our resources so that all of our groups can develop their activities.
Our various stances
Georgia: the “balcony of Europe” and a group which is now ready to join the Emmaus movement!
The vitality of our movement can be measured by the exchanges and discussion it creates, the friendships it helps to forge and the mutual aid initiatives that it helps to launch.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Germany
Emmaus Punto: fighting addiction
An interview with Richard, Honorary Chair of the Emmaus Punto group which is based in Bergisch Gladbach. Richard tells us about this German group’s experience and expertise on matters related to addiction.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Romania
A childhood in care and then living on the streets: observations by Emmaus Satu Mare
In Romania an Emmaus community has been created specifically to help young people who are coming out of care institutions during the transition to adult life.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
France
Emmaus Solidarity, off the streets and back to life
We met with Lotfi Ouanezar, the director of one of the biggest Emmaus groups in France and which specialises in emergency welcome for people in street situations.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
France
Banks and poverty: how to prevent the hellish cycle?
In partnership with other French organisations, Emmaus France has just published a manifesto for universal financial inclusion.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Ukraine
Solidarity with Ukraine: A new social center to escape war and poverty
On 6 January, companions, friends, and partners of Emaus Oselya gathered for the inauguration of the new support centre “Olesya Sanotska” in Vynykky, Lviv, Ukraine.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Netherlands
Back to activism with the Emmaus in the Netherlands!
Lately the Emmaus groups in the Netherlands have been acting more together and locally to raise the public awareness on different issues (migrations, overconsumption) and with different partners. We met with the new National Delegate for the Netherlands, Yvette Gumbs, to ask her all about it.
Tackling Poverty / Solidarity
Poland
Zbigniew Drazkowski from Emmaus Lublin: Poland at a Historic Crossroads
The last regional board meeting was held in Poland. At the meeting we asked our host, Zbigniew Drazkowski, founder of the Emmaus Lublin group, to give us his point of view on the political situation in Poland under a far-right regime.
