Radios for the Homeless

Looking for a new way to help those on the street this holiday season? Give them a gift that keeps on giving: a small, dynamo-powered radio so they can listen to music and the news.

Les Enfants du Canal, a dynamic new non-profit association that helps the homeless find housing, has launched “Operation 1000 Radios in Paris,” an initiative to distribute 1000 radios for the homeless throughout the streets of the capital this holiday season. The radios, which help “break the isolation of individuals and to promote access to information and culture”, cost €15 each, and will be distributed December 21st-24th.

Please consider sponsoring a radio with a €15 donation, either directly to Les Enfants du Canal (tax free if you are a resident), or by credit card through the PayPal link below (100% of the funds go to Les Enfants du Canal).

One radio = €15

More about Les Enfants du Canal

This relatively young non-profit group evolved from the 2006 grassroots protests known as “Les Enfants du Don Quichotte” whose members set up red tents along the Canal St-Martin to protest the lack of housing and shelter for the city’s growing homeless population. Unlike other shelters, the ones run by Les Enfants du Canal have individual rooms, no curfews, kitchens where the residents can cook for themselves instead of communal meals, and they are allowed to have dogs and visitors (not allowed in other shelters). The residents pay what they can (€0-€70/month), and leave only when they have found permanent housing. Donations help open more of these shelters, which at the current moment are completely full. As we come into the winter season, it’s essential to keep people off the streets, especially those who are elderly, have young children, or serious illnesses.

Les Enfants du Canal are also always looking for volunteers (residents only) for their Bus-Abri, a converted bus in the 14th arrondissement that serves as a welcome center during the day for those on the streets to have a bite of food, a hot drink, conversation, information and assistance. Check out their website or Facebook page for more information, or contact the Director Christophe Louis (tell him I sent you) at 01 43 21 72 42.