Do you know Secours populaire ?

Do you know Secours populaire ?

For the fourth year running, thanks to the SOCAPS Fund endowment, several actions were carried out at the end of 2024: 

  • Skills sponsorship :

SOCAPS employees spent the whole month of December making gift wrap for the association. 

France 3 Normandie conducted a short interview which you can discover here: https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/normandie/programmes/france-3_normandie_ici-19-20-normandie-rouen at 21 minutes. 

  • Collecting donations :

At the same time, with the help of colleagues and SOCAPS Fund, 251 donations were collected for the underprivileged. 

French Secours populaire is a grassroots organization with 98 federations. It runs a network of 1,300 outreach centers and health relays, run by 90,000 volunteers. * 

To find out more, visit their page: 

*For an overview of Secours Populaire’s history:  

The solidarity association was created in 1945 following decades of great change: 

  • In 1923, many french activists were taking an interest in colonialism, unfair dismissals and political injustice in general. This was the beginning of “Secours Rouge”, a movement linked to the Communist era. 
  • In 1936, Secours became “popular”, particularly during the Spanish Civil War, when it established itself as a major player in international solidarity, fighting for the unconditional reception on French soil of refugees fleeing the fascist and Nazi regimes. 
  • In 1939, Secours was banned and went underground under the German occupation. It then took part in the actions of the French Resistance. (Half of its leaders were shot or deported during the German occupation). 
  • At the Liberation, the association reorganized itself, taking part in the reception of deportees and setting up an airlift to repatriate people trapped in concentration camps. It also sent 400 children from the Resistance on vacation. 
  • In 1945: French Secours populaire is born from the merger of “Secours populaire de France” and the nationale association of victims of nazism. 

 

After twenty-five traumatic years of war, the association is now active on all fronts: 

Access to social activities for all, 

  • Aid against various forms of colonial repression 
  • Victims of dictatorships 
  • Victims of natural disasters 
  • Help for the children of strikers (notably in 1963 and 1968). 

In the 1980s, Secours Populaire added accessibility to healthcare, culture and self-service food services, in line with the major changes in society linked to the crisis and the growth of poverty.