Despite the war in Ukraine which drags on, solidarity still seems intact in our department. This involves providing accommodation for Ukrainian families, support with administrative procedures and also French lessons. They are also continuing for Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Limoges. FormaPlus 87, a private school in the city, makes its rooms available to associations and families who want to learn our language. This Saturday they were about forty to form.
Speak French to integrate
The Ukrainian refugees listen attentively to their teacher, their noses glued to the blackboard. Today they recite the numbers. Irina arrived a month ago from kyiv, the capital: “People don’t speak French at all here, so it’s a beginner’s level. We learn the days of the week, the months, the colors, the really simple things. Everything you need to not get lost in this society” she explains in Ukrainian “If the French arrived in Ukraine, I would like them to learn our language”.
– Flavien Groyer
After the numbers, make way for the feminine/masculine. The courses are not not always simple but Isabelle, volunteer and broker by profession, is present to support the students: “We take up diction, sounds too, everything that is phonetic. The sound ‘eu’, for example, does not exist in Ukrainian so it is often replaced by the sound ‘ou'” smiled the volunteer. Yet after four sessions, the French sessions pay off for some refugees. Svetlana, who came to France with her husband, is proud of herself: “We’re making good progress! We don’t even have to use Google translate anymore when we talk to people”.
Without these French lessons, the refugees would be truly lost. It was the local association Ukrainka, created by Ukrainian nationals a few days after the start of the war, which set up these courses. Vadym is a volunteer there. He explains the importance of French for administrative procedures: “The prefecture, the banks, making the CV, the cover letter. It’s very important to make them more independent, integrated and autonomous” he concludes.
Lack of volunteers
The association would like to give more French lessons for more refugees but there are currently not enough volunteers. The director of the FormaPlus 87 school, Jamal Fatimi, therefore appeals : “We want more volunteers to make small groups. The more we have, the more groups we make” he explains. “Everyone can train! They (Ukrainian refugees, editor’s note) do not prepare for the French aggregation! We have teachers, we have everything”.
Whatever its level, it can be useful!
To become a volunteer, you can contact the school on 05 55 69 15 07 or the Ukraïnka association on their Facebook page.
Jamal Fatimi also calls on anyone who wishes to lend bicycles, as it is the most practical and cheapest means of transport for Ukrainian refugees.