Solidarity initiatives are developing in Toulouse to help residents during this period of confinement. Several self-help groups have started on Facebook.
This is the positive point of the coronavirus epidemic which currently affects the whole planet: everywhere solidarity actions are multiplying. Toulouse, a committed and militant city, is no exception to the rule. Since the start of the containment, self-help groups have flourished on social media, especially on Facebook.
Two days ago, Thomas, a 21-year-old Toulousan, created “Toulouse Mutual Aid Covid” with the help of his sister and a friend. “The groups concerning a single city are a little too large, we decided to create mutual assistance by district. At the moment, there are about twenty. This makes it possible to develop voluntary actions such as going to get groceries or going to the pharmacy for people who cannot move, or even walking their pets, “explains the young man.
Another objective: to help Toulouse residents who do not master digital tools: “We have created and published a standard file that people can distribute in letter boxes to offer their help”. This children’s leader is currently unemployed, so he has time to devote to his initiative, but he fears that the demand will become too great and is looking for volunteers to moderate the pages. To reach him: [email protected].
“Give people hope”
The “Solidarity and Citizen Network” group has similar objectives. “It aims to organize a chain of solidarity and give people hope,” said Clément, one of its three founders. Since its creation two days ago, it already has nearly 1,400 members. One Internet user gives her recipe for concocting a “homemade” hydroalcoholic gel, another publishes the certificate allowing circulation, others offer their help to deliver errands or give virtual gym lessons. Another initiative: a webradio reporting the testimonies of confined Toulousains also appeared this week: Stay @ home radio.
“A new mode of conviviality”
Some companies specializing in solidarity between neighbors such as Nextdoor or Mesvoisins.fr benefit from this solidarity wave. “We are recording unprecedented activity on the platform. Registrations jumped by around 23%, says Alice, an employee of the Mesvoisins.fr platform. In Toulouse, this represents 200 more registrants in a week. We see that people are reinventing new forms of solidarity and developing a new type of conviviality such as the display of words in the halls of buildings for example. ”
A simple figure shows what this epidemic represents: in one week, the Nextdoor site recorded an increase in its searches via the keyword “coronavirus” by 32,000%. “In Toulouse, we recorded a growth of 250% over the last seven days, says Karim Bassiri, France manager at Nextdoor, we have + 800% of comments and + 400% of publications. This is a good illustration of what is happening. ”
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