My journey for families in need!

From 30 May to 5 July, our Managing Director Marc Crochet will be travelling the roads of Compostela.

Together for a united Luxembourg: Follow Marc's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
 
Dear donors and friends of Caritas Luxembourg,

We are delighted to invite you to follow the story of our Director General, Marc Crochet, as he embarks on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This spiritual journey is much more than just a personal adventure: it aims to raise vital funds to support families and children in need in Luxembourg.

Poverty in Luxembourg: a persistent challenge 

In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, despite all the appearances of a wealthy country, poverty remains a reality and a major challenge for many people. Here are a few key statistics to illustrate the situation:

1. The poverty line: Luxembourg is a very expensive country. Wages are high, but the cost of living is even higher. In 2022, the poverty threshold in Luxembourg was set at EUR 2,245 per month per adult. This means that anyone whose standard of living is less than 60% of this threshold is considered to be at risk of poverty.
2. Households with children: Nearly one child in 4 in Luxembourg is at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This represents around 30,000 children. Single-parent families are particularly hard hit, with 35.5% of them finding it difficult to make ends meet. Couples with more than two dependent children also face significant financial challenges.
3. The effectiveness of policies to reduce poverty: SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) data enable us to assess the effectiveness of policies to reduce poverty and social exclusion. Although household disposable income has continued to rise on average, significant inequalities persist within the population.

Your donation makes a difference

Every little donation counts. By contributing to our fundraising campaign, you are directly supporting vulnerable families and children in Luxembourg. Your generosity will enable Caritas Luxembourg to provide concrete help, whether it's providing healthy food, supporting children's education or offering a roof over the heads of the most disadvantaged.

Be part of this wonderful adventure! Follow Marc Crochet's pilgrimage on social networks and on our website. Together, we can make a real difference to the lives of those who need it most.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY.

In 2019, I undertook my first journey on the Camino de Compostela, starting in Porto. There were three of us, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Every day, I shared these moments on my social networks, simply for the pleasure of sharing moments of beauty. For myself, of course, but also for the few people I knew who were virtually accompanying us on our travels.

The experience left such a deep impression on me that I promised myself I would return one day. But this time, I wanted to take a different route: the famous Camino Francés, one of the longest and best-known of the traditional routes. Around 800 kilometres separate the traditional starting point, Saint-Jean Pied-de-Port, from the majestic Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the point where all the routes converge...

800 kilometres to cover in just over a month. A time for reflection, introspection and recollection. A time to remember all the people who have marked my life, some of whom I can no longer thank. And a time to appreciate, with gratitude, the presence of the loved ones who surround me every day, and who enrich the path of a lifetime. My wife, my daughter, my family and friends, and all the people, whether chance encounters or long-standing acquaintances, who leave a positive imprint.

However, as I prepare for this new trip, I'm thinking that it would be even more rewarding if I could share something more than just photos and a few comments on my Facebook page. Something more concrete, more meaningful.

Over the last few days, I've been obsessed with the realities discussed at the Caritas Forum on child poverty (RTL - Caritas-Forum iwwer Kanneraarmut: Ee Ministère eleng kann de Problem net léisen). But over and above the discussions with colleagues and practitioners in the field, and the expert analyses, I've had to deal with a number of real-life situations over the last few weeks that I can't get away from. Two mothers with very young children, homeless overnight. Two young women stranded at our organisation's reception desk. Two small families with no social rights in Luxembourg. Two young mothers overwhelmed by events, penniless, without support, and in the general indifference that all too often characterises our ‘survival of the fittest’ society...

It was under the impression of feeling powerless in the face of other people's distress that I decided that I couldn't limit myself to making my contribution to this pilgrimage, but that I should also try to make a small contribution to a much more important edifice. That of solidarity and love of neighbour.

If, like me, you want to reach out to people in need, I will be eternally grateful for any support, however small, for the work of Caritas Luxembourg in favour of the most deprived families.

Your support will be paid into a fund used strictly for individual relief.

Marc Crochet

Follow Marc's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela via his facebook page. 

ULTREÏA !