Looking for volunteers for the toys, books, coins and shoes collection

The Solidarite Committee along with Oxfam is planning to organise a toys, shoes, coins and books collection in the European Commission. The collected things will go for poor children and families.

We are looking for volunteers to ensure that when the tracks come to pick up the collected things, everything will go all right.

When?

The collection boxes will be available on the week of May 23-27

When the help is needed from the volunteers?

Friday May 20th the tracks will come to deposit the collection boxes in the evening

Wednesday May 25th they will come to empty the boxes in the evening

Friday May 27th they will come to take away the boxes in the evening

Where?

We are still looking for volunteers in the following buildings: Berlaymont, Charlemagne,  CDMA, J-70, Bell-28, CCAB, SPA-2, DM24

If you are in one of the mentioned buildings and you would like to help, please contact  Liva STOKENBERGA. We are looking for 2 people per building to have a backup.

Thank you!

Traditional European recipes are wanted!

The Solidarité Committee is working on a European Cook-book that would include 2 recipes from all 27 EU member states, one main dish and a dessert or beverage. The book will not only provide guidelines about cooking but will also give a hint of the culture with tips and anecdotes relating to food, traditions and the general feeling of each nation. The Solidarité Cook-book will contribute to anyone's development both culturally and in the kitchen.

Don't let your nation be ashamed of missing from the European Cookbook!

Recipes wanted from: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia

The ethusiastic leader of the project is Alexandra Newlands who is expecting to receive the recipes from those volunteers who wish to share a little "bite" of their nation by the 15th of May. Register until the 7th of May! The Cook-book will be available with the coming weeks, more details to come when we have all of our 54 mouth watering recipes for you! Do you want to be part of the team who determines What's on the menu of the EU?



The information required:

- title in English + in the local language underneath (with perhaps the phonetic pronounciation) 

- if it is a regional dish, you can mention the name of the region in brackets

- x number of persons

- time of preparation and cooking

- information about price and difficulty (1 to 3)

- ingredients

- recipe

- flag

- photo

To make it more attractive and lively, we would like you to include a personal comment, a tip, a joke, a cultural reference, an anecdote, information on the wines/beverages with which you usually serve the dish etc. 

Easter Fundraising

Donate 5 euro and get a hand-made Easter egg and a home-made brownie in exchange!

On 18 April, 2011 Solidarité organised a small-scale fundraising event taking into account the coming Easter celebration. Csilla Szabó, with the help of Yuliyana Gencheva decorated empty eggs according to an Eastern European traditional method of Easter egg preparation. Each egg took in average 1 hour to prepare. Annelie De Boer supported the little team by baking brownies.

The event took place in the building rue Josef II, 54 where several enthusiastic officials of the European Commission donated for the good cause. Within 2 hours, 120 euros were raised!

And here are those beautiful eggs that expressed our gratitude for all who contributed!

First fundraising action of Solidarité

On 26 March, 2011 at the last party organised by the Liaison Committee, 16 stagiaires of the Solidarité volunteered to work in the cloakroom. The devotion and teamwork of the group raised 560 euros for the Committee as starting amount for the target 5000 for the water-pump project in Madagascar.

Thank you for everybody who contributed to the first success of Solidarité!

Solidarity of Summer Stage 2011

On March 15, 2011 the enthusiatic stagiares of the new traineeship cycle of 2011 Summer gathered to start their volunteer activities. Shuveta Sekhri was elected as General Coordinator for the Solidarity Subcommitte. Some 60 trainees expressed interest in working volunteerily in this stage period on various projects.

The Solidarité Committee chose as its slogan for this cycle the following quote "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only little." Thanks to our lovely creative designer, Noelia Pickard here is our refreshed logo:

This year project initiatives include but are not limited to fundraising cycling tour; toys and clothes collection for poor children; organisation of Human Rights Forum; volunteering at the soup kitchen in Brussels; producing Solidarity Mugs; preparing European Cookbook; selling Easter eggs and so on. The ideas were spurring and the participants have already started preparing the programs.

Among others, the trainees support the work of humanitarian and non-profit organisations funded and managed mainly by staff of the EU institutions. The stagiares contribute to the assessment of Europe Third World project requests as well as volunteered to raise funds for a particular project in Mangily, Madagascar. The aim of the project in question will enable the local clinic to have a water-pump run by solar energy ensuring better hygienic conditions for the patients and staff of the clinic. Read more about the project under the Help Madagascar! page.

Europe Third World operates since 1968 and provides support each year for about 25 to 30 projects being implemented by associations or NGOs working for the benefit of local communities in developing countries. These projects cover very diverse fields such as agriculture, food security, trade in goods and services, micro-credits, professional and vocational training and generally speaking, the improvement of living conditions.

Furthermore, we also support the Schuman Trophy, a charity initiative that helps poor and deprived children. The Schuman Trophy was created in 1997 and has collected more than 400 000 Euros, funding 96 projects over the past 12 years in the areas of assistance to children in hospitals, construction of schools, purchase of special equipments for disabled young people and many more youth oriented initiatives.

Every year the Schuman Trophy organises a friendly Football Tournament where Solidarité stagiaires provide help and this way contribute to the fundraising of the organisation. In 2011 the tournament will take place on two weekends of 7-8-9 May and 14-15 May 2011.

The tournament now rallies more than 30 teams representing various Directorate Generals and other Services and Agencies of the Commission, but also other European and International institutions, such as the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the United Nations Organisations. It is now widely acclaimed as a brilliant demonstration of friendliness between staff of the European Commission and beyond, as well as of their geneorsity towards poor and deprived children.