Tag Archive for: partnership

Partnership: Serge Betsen travels to La Baule (France) to meet the young people from the Cité Scolaire Grand Air

/in , /by

On Friday January 20, 2023, Serge Betsen travelled to La Baule to meet the pupils in Year 7 and 8 (US equivalent: 6thand 7thgrade) who are preparing for their 23 May cross-country charity race in support of the Serge Betsen Academy. Serge Betsen was invited by the Cité scolaire Grand Air of la Baule as part of their recent partnership and he had the pleasure of meeting the students and introducing the association, its missions and its actions to them, and of course he thanked them for their invaluable support.

The students listened to Serge Betsen with great interest and are now excited about the idea of running for the association. It was a great moment of exchanges, and the collaboration was launched! Children from the association were able to encourage the students for their races through a video made in Cameroon, and also to thank them.

 

 

Serge Betsen and Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of la Baule, then signed the agreement between the Serge Betsen Academy and the school, which decided to support us following the initiative of Olivier Le Corre, teacher of History-Geography & Civic Education who had met Serge a few years prior. An interview with Serge Betsen carried out by the Y10 (US Grade 9) followed, as then there was a conversation with Jean-Yves Le Jeune, journalist from Ouest France present for the occasion. At the end of this afternoon rich in encounters at Grand Air, Serge Betsen and a delegation from the school met with Mr. Franck Louvrier, Mayor of the City of La Baule-Escoublac. It was an opportunity to talk in detail about this collaboration and the actions of the association!

 

We would like to warmly thank the Cité scolaire Grand Air this great partnership as well as the students involved in this project. Serge Betsen, Our President was very touched by their warm welcome, as well as the commitment of Olivier Le Corre in organising this visit.

A huge thank you to Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of La Baule, Mrs. Perrai and Mr. Delacroix, deputy head-teachers of the college, Olivier Le Corre, History-Geography & Civic Education teacher who is leading the project, Pauline Basulto, Education Assistant, Fanny Morisson and Anne-Sophie Perraudin, History-Geography & Civic Education Teachers, Martine Chateau, Jean-Pierre Angelvy, Stéphane Aoustin, Physical Education and Sports Teachers, Frédéric Merlet and the Ulis section, and the entire teaching team involved in the organisation of this solidarity race.

Many thanks also to Mr. Franck Louvrier, Mayor of the City of La Baule-Escoublac and Vice-President of the Pays-de-Loire Region, Mr. Mathieu, Deputy Mayor in charge of sports affairs and associations, Mrs. Challier, municipal councillor and the elected representatives of the Municipal Youth Council for which she is responsible, who support this project.
Last but not least, thank you to the parents of Olivier Morato, Treasurer of the Serge Betsen Academy in the United Kingdom, for having made the trip to attend this special meeting between Serge Betsen and the students of Grand Air.
Philippe Grivaux kindly made a video of the encounter between Serge Betsen and the students and we are happy to share it with you:

Bring on the 23 of May!! And until then, good luck to all the young people in their quest for sponsorships!

 

 

Please read this beautiful article written by Jean-Yves Le Jeune, following the 20 January meeting.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Partnership: The pupils in Year 7 and 8 of the Cité Scolaire Grand Air of La Baule, in support of the Serge Betsen Academy!

/in , /by

It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Cité scolaire Grand Air of La Baule(France) has set up a partnership with the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA). This secondary school, which welcomes 514 students for the Years 7 to 10 (US equivalent: 6th– 9thgrade) and 625 students for the Years 11 to 13 (grade 10th-12th), wanted to make the SBA the main beneficiary of their cross-country race raising money for charity to be held on 14 April 2023.

The story begins with the meeting of Olivier Le Corre, a rugby fan and History-Geography & Civic Education teacher, with Serge Betsen. Olivier Le Corre came across Serge Betsen on the Rialto Bridge in Venice while he was on a school trip with his students. He then discovered with enthusiasm the mission of the association, discussed it internally back-home and contacted us to discuss the set-up of this partnership.

For the last 14 years, on the initiative of the History-Geography and PE teachers of the school, the pupils in Years 7 and 8 (about 240 in total), including the ULIS Section (students with disabilities) participate in the school’s charity race on the beach of La Baule-Escoublac and the embankment of La Baule. Ahead of time, the students look for sponsors within their entourage who agree to pay an amount per lap, this amount being then donated to a partner association. From 2015 to 2019, the Inde et Vous (“India and You”) association was the beneficiary of the race.

Here are some photos of past editions sent-in by Stéphane Aoustin:

This time, the Serge Betsen Academy will be the lucky beneficiary of the 2023 edition. We would like to thank the students participating in this sporting and solidarity challenge and encourage them to surpass themselves. Serge Betsen had the pleasure to meet the students in January and to present to them the actions and the mission of the Serge Betsen Academy. The money collected during the race will be used for the education component of our association, namely to pay the tutoring teachers, to rent premises and pay the centres’ electricity, water and internet bills. This support is very precious, it enables our disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Mali to study in good conditions, thus maximising their chances of getting a job and improving their standard of living. In the next years, it will then be possible to get dedicated support for our two other components, health and rugby, as well as support for the implementation of specific projects.

We would like to thank Mr. Philippe Paul, head-teacher of the Cité Scolaire, Mrs. Perrai and Mr. Delacroix, deputy head-teachers of the college, Olivier Le Corre, History-Geography & Civic Education teacher who is leading the project, Pauline Basulto, Education Assistant, Fanny Morisson and Anne-Sophie Perraudin, History-Geography & Civic Education Teachers, Martine Chateau, Jean-Pierre Angelvy, Stéphane Aoustin, Physical Education and Sports Teachers, Frédéric Merlet and the Ulis section, and the entire teaching team involved in the organisation of this solidarity race.

We wish a good sponsor quest to all pupils in Y7 and Y8 and good training for the race!

You will find all the practical details in the note published by the establishment:

And finally, for those who want to know more about the civic and solidarity commitment of the school, you can read the following article, published in the Ouest-France:

Article sur Grand Air dans Ouest France

 

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Partnership: Bistrot Régent is now supporting our charity

/in /by

Many thanks to Bistro Régent for this new partnership with the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA).

You might already know Bistro Régent: it is a chain of franchised restaurants present throughout France. Thanks to Bistro Regent, the SBA will benefit from micro-donations from their customers. They will be able to round their bill to the higher euro when paying on Electronic Payment Terminal (EPT) and thus support our nutrition program. Indeed, with 1 euro (£0,84), the SBA can prepare 3 meals for our children.

This solidarity rounding-up operation has been set up at the restaurant Bistro Régent of Castres (81) for now.

We would like to thank Bistro Régent for their support as well as all their gourmet and supportive customers!

Event: A recognition from The French Development Agency at the New Africa-France Summit

/in , /by

The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) had the honor of attending the New Africa-France 2021 Summit on Friday further to an invitation from the French government (Elysée) and The French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement).

This recognition at the highest level is the result of several months of work, and of a success story in Cameroon for 17 years and in Mali for almost 2 years. The support of The French Development Agency offers an exceptional support to the Serge Betsen Academy in terms of growth and to the well-being of girls and boys in Cameroon and Mali.

The children of the SBA, Odile Prévot, CEO of the charity and all the other volunteers join Serge Betsen, Founding President of the Serge Betsen Academy and Sébastien Lovy, Treasurer of the  charity who both had the privilege of speaking at the New Africa-France Summit, in thanking French President Emmanuel Macron, The French Development Agency and Sport en Commun for their support and investment.

 

Le Président Emmanuel Macron et Serge Betsen

Serge Betsen, Sébastien Lovy et Didier RetièreOdile et les enfants de la SBA

 

Mali: Donated rugby gear safely arrived in Mali thanks to HAE Group

/in , /by

In October, three different mails of donations transported by our dear partner HAE Group  have been sent to the SBA Mali centre. Our SBA Mali children have received 162 pairs of rugby boots, 106 pairs of sliders but also 20 other pairs of shoes, 2 jumpers and and a pair of trousers.

A huge thank you to Neville Karai and the HAE Group for covering the cost of transportation of this athletic gear and for organizing the shipments with the help of Odile Prevot, our CEO.

A huge thank you to Jamie Forrester of Opus Recruitment Solutions for his beautiful donation of 162 pairs of rugby boots.

The 106 pairs of lovely sliders have been kindly donated by Slide Tribe UK. We feel very grateful to Tom Hassan, Founder and Owner at Slide Tribe for this generous donation.

Regarding the 20 pairs of shoes, the 2 jumpers and and the pair of trousers, they have been collected by Dan Soso, a rugby coach at Maryland Exiles Youth Rugby in the US. We would like to thank all the young rugby players of this club for taking part in this collection.

The first shipment arrived in Bamako and the kids were overjoyed to discover their amazing rugby boots donated by Jamie Forrester! A distribution was organized on 17 October by the volunteers of our centre on the occasion of the Prophet’s birthday, a celebration that is very important in this country where Islam is prevailing.

The team of HAE has been providing us ongoing support and we would like to thank them deeply for their help and flexibility.

 

Donation HAE Group to SBA Mali

The 162 pairs of rugby boots transported by HAE Group

The 162 pairs of rugby boots transported by HAE Group

 

The donation of 106 pair of sliders by Slide Tribe

The donation of 106 pair of sliders by Slide Tribe

 

Donation HAE Group to SBA Mali

Donation HAE Group to SBA Mali

 

The SBA Mali children trying their new rugby boots

The SBA Mali children trying their new rugby boots donated by Jamie Forrester

Children trying their new rugby boots

The Sliders safely arrived in Bamako

Maryland Exiles Youth Rugby wishes much success to all of the student athletes at the Serge Betsen Academy

The young players of the Maryland Exiles Youth Rugby who have collected rugby gear for our children

 

 

 

Event: The SBA, a solidarity partner of the Anglet Beach Rugby Festival

/in , /by

The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) was this year, once again, thrust into the limelight during the Anglet Beach Rugby Festival which was held on the Plage des Sables d’Or in Anglet on 23-24-25 July. On the occasion of this special “African rugby” edition, a team of ace volunteers held the stand of SBA goodies and Confections signed by Recycling Rugby. A raffle was even organised this year on our stand.

Serge Betsen attended the Festival on Saturday and Sunday. He had the pleasure to meet up the staff of the Festival, spend time with the volunteers of our stand, follow with interest the different matches on the sand, meet players and spectators, visit the stands and play rugby with the French Legends.

Our President, Serge Betsen along with the SBA warmly thank all the buyers who supported us, the curious who came to learn more about our mission, our volunteers for their enthusiasm and the Anglet Beach Rugby Festival team for their invitation and their donation of £1702 (2000€).

See you all next year!

Serge Betsen and the SBA X Recycling Rugby volunteers

SBA X Recycling Rugby Stand

French Legends team

Donation from the Anglet Beach Rugby Festival

Mali: Jean-Guy Monneret, the man with a big heart, and thanks to whom our daughters can study in a beautiful classroom!

/in , /by

We would like to warmly thank Jean-Guy Monneret and the entire ATC Mali team for the magnificent classroom which is now located on the grounds of AS REAL in Bamako.

Jean-Guy Monneret is the Managing Director and the Founder of the ATC Mali group specialising in large-scale metal construction (mining, boiler making / oil depots, irrigation, containers, transport / handling).  Based in Bamako for over 20 years and passionate about rugby, he is involved in several associations and rugby clubs locally.  He immediately agreed to become a partner of the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) in Mali and took on responsibility for the manufacture of the container which is dedicated to become the school support room for our 25 young girls from Bamako.  He also decorated the interior of the room and donated the furniture.

Here are some photos of the work carried out.  The container was installed on the grounds of the stadium a few days before its inauguration, after a clearing and cleaning up of the ground with the help of Serge Betsen and the rugby coaches.  It was not an easy task!

After-School tutoring room in construction Inside - After-School tutoring room in construction

Desk and bench for the girls Construction of the after-school tutoring room

Construction of the after-school tutoring room Inside of the after-school tutoring room

Serge close to the container Container

Inside of the after-school room Inside of the after-school room

 The girls discovering their after-school tutoring room

 

Jean-Guy is a former rugby player who followed the career of Serge Betsen closely.  He was keen to become a partner of SBA Mali from the moment the SBA office presented its project to him during their study trip in January 2020.  Serge Betsen visited him during his stay in Bamako in June 2021 to thank him and give him a small gift.

Serge Betsen, Jean-Guy Monneret and his son Wet

A big thank you to Jean-Guy of ATC Mali, to Mr. Massez, the head metal carpenter, to Yaya and the whole team for their involvement and their work.  Without you, the education component of SBA Mali could not have been implemented!

 

Translation : Katy Birge-Wilson