Serving Partners – Vie Naissante

In our recent volunteer survey, some of you suggested that it would be useful to have more detailed information about the partners Serve the City regularly works with – so you can more easily decide whether certain volunteering opportunities appeal to you.

We’ve taken this as an opportunity to put together a series of new articles to share with you – ‘Serving Partners.’

This month we interviewed Simone Goeres, she helps run our partner organisation Vie Naissante.

What is your background and why did you decide to start working for Vie Naissante?

My name is Simone Goeres and I have a background in economic studies. I learned about Vie Naissante when I was volunteering with a student association.

Please tell us a little about Vie Naissante and what are the organisation’s goals?

The goal of Vie Naissante is to accompany women during an unplanned pregnancy in Luxembourg by providing help in various ways. Our beneficiaries are pregnant women, young mothers and fathers and their children. In our office, we provide social help by distributing various materials to women in need such as maternity and baby clothing, baby accessories, diapers, powdered milk, etc. Furthermore, we also provide financial help by granting lodging facilities to young families. Our ultimate aim is to provide psychological help during and after the pregnancy in many ways through our specialized “Emergency” team composed of a gynecologist, a psychologist, a nurse, a social assistant, a lawyer, a midwife and a spiritual counsel.

Can you describe an average working day in your job for Vie Naissante?

The average working day always takes place each Monday morning from 9-11 in our office located at 28, Dernier Sol in Luxembourg/Bonnevoie. All our volunteers gather, to sort the donations and distribute them to the pregnant women and young mothers/fathers. Some office work is also done online at any time and our emergency team can be reached 24/7 days a week on our helpline at 621 54 67 84 or by email at info@vienaissante.lu.

What do you most enjoy about working for Vie Naissante?

I enjoy the contact with the other volunteers that are as motivated as I am but also with our beneficiaries who come from very different backgrounds and countries, e.g. refugees from Syria.

Why do you need the help of volunteers for the organisation?

We mostly need help to sort the donations, sometimes to deliver the donations to people’s homes for those who cannot make it during our opening hours, and of course we need people on Monday mornings to welcome the beneficiaries and distribute the donations to them.

What do you think Vie Naissante means to those people who benefit from the organisation?

They are very grateful to get help from us. Many of them have experienced difficult life obstacles before reaching our office.

What kind of impact does Vie Naissante have on women in Luxembourg – is there anything else like it?

Our impact is to bring relief to our beneficiaries’ situation on a materialistic and personal level. In Luxembourg, you may find many other organizations that collect donations and distribute them to people in need, but Vie Naissante is the only organization emphasizing the protection of life from the very beginning in Luxembourg.

Are there any restrictions on volunteering for Vie Naissante, such as language barriers or can you literally benefit from anyone stepping forward to volunteer their time?

If people are unable to volunteer at our office during the working hours they can help us by collecting donations throughout the country and bringing them to us. The languages mostly used in our office are Luxembourgish, German and French. Someone who does not speak any of the three will probably have difficulties to communicate with the other volunteers as they are not all very fluent in English. Vie Naissante welcomes all pregnant women and volunteers regardless of their personal story.

Can you describe a Vie Naissante event that Serve the City has made a difference at – and how we made a difference?

We have worked with a volunteer from Serve the City and have met other people from there with special abilities who would make a great addition to our volunteer pool.

 

For more info visit: http://www.vienaissante.lu/

28, Dernier Sol
L-2543 Luxembourg-Bonnevoie
Tél.: +352 44 44 40 (répondeur)
E-mail: info@vienaissante.lu