The Adrien Association was founded by Rebé Molines in May 2005 to support families whose children are living with serious and/or life-threatening conditions.

Thanks to a united and dedicated team, the Adrien Association pursues three objectives:

The Superheroes : every Wednesday, volunteers visit the hospital dressed as superheroes to offer the children a moment of respite

Support for families: a number of approaches are being explored to combat isolation

Training for support volunteers.

In 2023, after 10 years of planning, preparations and construction work, Maison Adrien opened its doors. This accredited medical and social care facility enables children receiving treatment in hospitals across the region to stay, together with their families, for the duration of their treatment in a place designed especially for them: welcoming, safe and full of wonder.

Getting to know one another and building together

The Adrien Association is one of the first organisations supported by the Jacques Martel Foundation. Year after year, our ties have grown stronger, enabling new projects to emerge.

We regularly applaud the enthusiasm and infectious energy of René Molines, who knows how to rally people to bring his projects to fruition.

This relationship of trust has led to some wonderful shared moments, such as the Jacques Martel Foundation charity dinner in 2024, held at Maison Adrien, or, more recently, a breakfast get-together with families living at Maison Adrien, a visit to Aromatech for apprentice, and the creation of a mural depicting the ocean in the corridor leading to the first-floor bedrooms.

The voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, Viana, The Little Mermaid, Ulysses… so many worlds to inspire a new wave of dreams to the children. We can’t wait to see the result.

Thank you to the Adrien Association for enabling us, year after year, to take part in this heart-warming adventure.

To keep up to date with their news: https://www.instagram.com/associationadrien/

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Education – and, more broadly, children – are at the heart of the Jacques Martel Foundation’s commitment. Our aim is to safeguard and pass on the future, and this naturally involves children.

Today marks the start of the new school year, and the comments we heard throughout the day were very encouraging: the vast majority of children were looking forward to returning to school.

For the most part! And for the Jacques Martel Foundation, it is important to support those who, for various reasons, are less enthusiastic. This may be due to illness, a difficult social situation… Our commitment is to stand by them, to support them, to guide them and to inspire them.

How has the Jacques Martel Foundation supported children this year?

Throughout the year, the children have been at the heart of several projects:

• Raising awareness of the risks associated with excessive screen time, in collaboration with the ‘Lève les yeux’ association,
• An encounter with dolphins and rorquals in a Marine Protected Area off the coast of Sanary-sur-Mer, in partnership with the LEA association
• An immersive breakfast and a tour of the Aromatech company with residents of the Maison Adrien
• An opportunity for pupils from three schools in Nice to learn about the daily lives of Senegalese schoolchildren and their relationship with water – a precious resource to be preserved – through a well-organised pen-pal exchange with Sens Solidaires,
• Support for the ‘Marion la Main Tendue’ charity in its mission to combat bullying of children, via the Cannes Foundation’s CARA program.
• Promoting access to ‘culture for all’ through support for a participatory opera project that enables children – who are often unfamiliar with the world of opera – to discover the various roles within the opera world and to experience collective creation. Proposed by the Nice Opera.
• The Oral Health Mission in Majunga (Madagascar) in partnership with Wildlife Care Madagascar (prevention, education and distribution of kits)

What was the impact?

Through Lève Les Yeux, 250 young people took part in awareness-raising workshops.

Through Sens Solidaires, three schools in Casamance benefited from the installation of NanoAids – water purification systems. And behind every pupil, there is a family.

Through the LEA association, around fifty children living with illness and/or disability were able to enjoy a day of respite and wonder.

In partnership with the Nice Opera, 150 pupils from the eastern districts of Nice took to the stage for the opera ‘Un monde ensemble’. A few weeks earlier, 430 pupils from various districts of Nice gathered at the Opera House for a public session to watch a rehearsal.

Through Wildlife Care Madagascar, 586 pupils from five schools in Majunga took part in an awareness-raising session and were given a kit containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and a cup.

Charities play a vital role in supporting children and promoting education. As a donor, we are committed to recognising their work and helping them bring their projects to reality. Today, we are therefore thinking of them and of all those who are dedicated to working for and with children. Together, let us safeguard and build their future.

If you too would like to support them, please donate to the Jacques Martel Foundation: https://www.monetico-online-asso.com/fondsdedotationjacquesmartel/pagededon

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The aim of the Lève Les Yeux workshops is to help young people understand just how much excessive screen time – which is constantly on the rise – is damaging their health, their ability to concentrate and, more broadly, their social connections.

These issues, which are now well documented, are becoming increasingly recognised by the public and politicians alike, as evidenced by recent legislative initiatives aimed at better regulating the use of social media and smartphones by minors.

During the workshops organised in Nice throughout the school year, the team at Lève Les Yeux asked young people about these measures. The reactions, overwhelmingly negative, were well-founded:

–    They belong to a generation born with screens

–    The law/reform prohibits but does not provide an alternative solution

–          Today, for them, being part of society – that is to say, social connection – happens through screens

–    Indeed, screens even help to resolve social problems that cannot be resolved in any other way…

As the discussion progressed, the speakers managed to make them understand that social media deliberately exploits the weaknesses of the human brain: it relies on mechanisms designed to capture and hold attention by exploiting certain cognitive vulnerabilities.

The issue of social media affects everyone, but certain sections of the population are more vulnerable than others. For example, screen time is 1.5 to 2 times higher in working-class communities.

From an educational perspective, the consequences are a cause for concern. Concentration works like a muscle; the less you exercise it, the weaker it becomes. Consequently, social media – and in particular its fragmented content, known as ‘snack content’ – poses a threat to young people’s attention span and their ability to think deeply.

That is why the work of associations such as Lève les Yeux is essential. The task is challenging but necessary, and the Jacques Martel Foundation was delighted to continue its commitment to supporting the association for the second year running.

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To mark World Oceans Day on 8 June, the Jacques Martel Foundation supported a waste collection initiative on the banks of the Frayère in Cannes, organised by the CSIL (Conseil Scientifique des Iles de Lérins) and carried out by staff from the company Aromatech.

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This year, pupils at Appraxine School in Nice have been maintaining a correspondence with pupils at Kagnout School in Casamance, Senegal. The scheme involved an exchange of letters, culminating in the delivery of the letters to both sides by Arya, a civic service volunteer with the association.

The Jacques Martel Foundation was fortunate enough to be present when these precious letters were handed over in Nice. Through photos, anecdotes and personal accounts, the pupils gained an insight into the daily lives of their Senegalese correspondents. They learnt that in some villages, access to water remains a daily challenge. The children thus became aware of the importance of this resource, which is essential for life: for drinking, cooking, washing hands, growing food and, of course, staying healthy.

The session also provided an opportunity to highlight a fact that is worth remembering: water is not an inexhaustible resource. The pupils were encouraged to think about their own water consumption and the simple actions they can take to conserve it. They discovered that water is present everywhere in our daily lives, including in the food we eat. Producing certain foods requires considerable amounts of water, which led to fruitful discussions on how to reduce one’s water footprint and combat water wastage.

Arya then outlined the practical initiatives undertaken by Sens Solidaires in Senegal. Thanks to support from the Jacques Martel Foundation, the charity has helped three schools in Casamance to improve access to drinking water by installing water purification systems (NanoAids) as well as simple equipment such as Tippy Taps, which make handwashing easier and contribute to better hygiene in everyday life.

Beyond the figures and environmental issues, it was the human connections that left a lasting impression. The moment when the letters sent by the Senegalese pen pals were handed out stirred up strong emotions in the class. Through a few words, drawings and stories about their lives, the children discovered realities different from their own and were curious to learn more about them.

This event perfectly illustrates the mission of the Jacques Martel Foundation: to protect and safeguard the future. In partnership with Sens Solidaires, this project has helped raise awareness among young people about water-related issues, made them realise how fragile this resource is, and opened their eyes to other realities of life. A valuable experience that also demonstrates the importance of people, openness to others and solidarity for the Jacques Martel Foundation.

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The absence of a continental shelf in the bay of Villefranche, combined with specific coastal courants, makes it a site rich in plankton (source: IMEV)

As early as the 19th century, this marine biodiversity made Villefranche-sur-Mer famous amongst scientists, as attested to today by the library of the IMEV (Institut de la mer de Villefranche-sur-Mer).

Understanding to better preserve

Understanding living organisms and their evolution requires a long-term perspective.

Observing, comparing, analysing: these are all processes that require reliable reference points and knowledge accumulated and transmitted over decades.

The library of the Institut de la Mer de Villefranche-sur-Mer (IMEV) embodies these challenges. The historical works it holds provide valuable access to past scientific observations, allowing them to be compared with current data.

More than just a place of conservation, this library constitutes a scientific heritage, essential to understanding the dynamics of marine biodiversity.

Supporting to preserve and pass on

It is in this spirit that the Jacques Martel Foundation has contributed to the restoration of works of scientific value held at the IMEV library.

By supporting this initiative, the Foundation helps maintain a vital link between past and present, between knowledge and action.

Preserving biodiversity also means preserving the memory that enables us to understand it — and to pass it on.

This project forms part of the synergy between two of the Foundation’s missions: the protection of marine resources and the promotion of local heritage.

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Supporting the Wildlife Care Madagascar association, the Jacques Martel Foundation has embarked on a multifaceted project aimed at supporting local communities – particularly children. It focuses on key issues: health, training and the promotion of local skills, and is fully in line with the Foundation’s missions: to promote access to healthy and sustainable food for all, and to support the education of young people.

Seven months after its launch, significant progress has already been made: the plots have been prepared, training in gardening has been provided, trial crops have been planted, and a well has been built.

As regards the training aspect, four people have already been trained. This programme, run by a local centre, teaches farming practices that respect biodiversity and the soil. This is a relevant approach to the sustainable conservation of resources and to ensuring a more secure future for generations to come. The trainers emphasised the importance of respecting endemic species during land clearing and also taught the benefits of mulching in a hot climate.

The planning of experimental crops also illustrates this commitment to adapting to the local context. In the middle of the rainy season, the team focused on four vegetable and fodder crops with high water requirements: maize, cassava, lowland rice and bambara beans. All grown using permaculture methods.

From April onwards, tomatoes will be planted. Indeed, the lower temperatures of the dry season provide favourable conditions for the pollination of many vegetable crops.

Summary in pictures

The Jacques Martel Foundation is particularly proud of this project, which has made remarkable progress and which helps to empower local communities and work with them to build sustainable solutions for future generations. The impact is therefore not solely agricultural: it is also social, as it fosters a collective spirit, develops skills, creates seasonal employment and boosts the confidence of those on the ground in their ability to produce, learn and pass on knowledge.

Further initiatives are still underway, which is very encouraging. A wonderful collaboration has been forged.

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This theme resonates particularly strongly with a project that is important to us and which we have chosen to support, alongside the charity Sens Solidaire, which the Jacques Martel Foundation is supporting for the third consecutive year.

This is a Franco-Senegalese project, run between schools in Nice and schools in Casamance, entitled ‘Access to water and food: understanding their vital link’.

This project aims to raise pupils’ awareness of the fundamental role of water in health, hygiene and nutrition. It also offers practical solutions! Finally, it serves as a reminder that access to drinking water remains a major issue of equality, and it is clear that we are not all equal.

The project has several components:

–    Raising awareness of water quality and food safety issues through presentations and educational group activities

–    Creating vegetable gardens,

–    Installing two ‘Nanoaid’ kits for water purification and disinfection (vegetables, soil, hands, surfaces, wounds).

–    Running workshops on water and hygiene,

–    Distribution of water containers to Senegalese schoolchildren

The first Nanoaid unit has been installed at Cagnout School. Until now, pupils at this school had been drinking untreated water, which was the cause of many illnesses linked to unsafe water.

Tippy Taps – simple handwashing stations – have also been made and installed in strategic locations around the playground to make it easier for the children to wash their hands 💛

At another school in Casamance – Pointe Saint Georges Primary School – individual water containers were handed out to pupils as part of a workshop on good hygiene practices at school and the importance of staying hydrated.

Water is the first, invisible ingredient in our diet.

Without good-quality water, there can be no healthy agriculture, no sustainable fishing, and no reliable food supply chain. Protecting water means protecting the very basis of what we eat.

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