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Video Portrait of Rizka Maulida, 23 years old, Community Mobilizer in Surabaya - Indonesia

Gaëlle Muraca, former Green Village Leader and actually confined in Malwani, Mumbai, has challenged Rusksar so she writes a testimony about her STRENGTHS! RUSKSAR SHAIKH, 20yo, Autonomy Step, Program Life Line 1, Mumbaï, India 1) PRESENT YOURSELF My name is Ruksar Shaikh. I am 20 years old, I come from Mumbai. My family is stable. 2) WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? I was in training in LP4Y before Coronavirus. 3) WHAT ARE YOUR QUALITIES, YOUR SKILLS? I am hardworking, honest, and helping hand. 4) WHY and HOW MY QUALITIES AND SKILLS HELP ME TO FEEL GOOD? WHY AM I HAPPY TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS? My nature toward people is very calm and polite and my helping nature feels good to everyone in my surroundings. I am happy to learn new things so that I can develop my society. 5) WHAT IMPORTANT EXPERIENCES DID I LIVE IN MY LIFE? WHAT DID I LEARN FROM IT? WHY DO I FEEL STRONGER AFTER? The important experience in my life is to help others if you can help them. I have learned a lot from helping the people - the ones I have helped they teach me a lot about life. I feel stronger because of their blessing and their support with me. themMy dream is to open a beautician shop and I will reach there shortly because my passion is to do makeup. 7) WHAT DO YOU ADVISE TO THE OTHER YOUTH OF THE WORLD? I will advise to all the youth to help each and everyone you can help because these changes can change the whole world.

Duong Bang, 24 years old, Star of Bread & Smiles program, Hanoi, Vietnam "When I was still in LP4Y, I sometimes felt very mad wondering “Why do I have to write thank-you letters?”, “Why do I have to write reports?”, “Why do I have to present this or that?”, and so many other questions. I used to get angry with a professional CV and the coaches’ encouragement while I was searching for a job. Not until I stepped out into the wider world out there did I realize that everything they taught me in LP4Y was a valuable lesson. I could easily get a decent job when I sent the employers my CV and had an interview with them. No words can fully express my emotions when I was notified that I had passed the recruitment examination. All I can say is a heartfelt thank-you to my second family LP4Y, especially the coaches there who have always been beside me and taught me every single letter A, B, C until I can speak a complete sentence to communicate with people. Thanks to LP4Y, I now have a job as a teaching assistant at an English center with a professional working environment. Dear my beloved LP4Y’s junior, everything you are now learning in LP4Y is the essential skills that the society out there needs. Just keep trying and supporting each other because “I can’t but together we can’’.

My name is Abul Sheikh. I am 20 years old. I live in Santoshpur 17/A eastern road, in a NGO. I work in Levi's Strauss & co at Acropolis Mall. I finished my LP4Y course on 20th of November 2018. I was a RIDE team member in Hossenpur center in Kolkata. Now, I am the president of STARS club of Hossenpur. I would like to share with you my Lockdown Diary in my center! Friday – 27/03/2020 I woke up at 9:45 and I ate bread, jam and banana for my breakfast. After this, I listened to music on my phone. I love bengali art songs and hindi bollywood romantic and sad songs. They have good music and rhythm. Also, I listen to english songs such as Shakira, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendis and Daddy Yankee ones. Then, I played cricket with my friends, we made two teams of 6 players each. We enjoy to play cricket ! Before lunch, we took our shower and we cleaned our house. For lunch, I ate rice, dhal and mixed vegetables. Every meal is prepared by a cooker. A little rest and then I’m ready to play UNO with my friends ! We shared the dinner eating egg curry, dhal and rice. It’s time to sleep after chatting with my friends on WhatsApp! Saturday – 28/03/2020 This morning for breakfast, I ate Uphma : it’s an indian breakfast which is made with Indian spices, vegetables, nuts and special ingredients. It is full of protein ! All boys prepare different meals. I played UNO with Pintu, Raja and Samir. They are my brothers in the NGO.. . Today is Saturday so we have House cleaning and the work is distributed to everyone in the house. The tasks are written in the small paper and each guy chooses one paper. Then, each task is distributed among everyone equally. For lunch, we cooked chicken with rice, dhal and mixed vegetables We cooked with turmeric powder, chillies and onions. After lunch, we played football ! Sunday – 29/03/2020 Today, I woke up at 9 :30 and I ate roti and chickpea curry. I don’t do anything special today, just relax and sleep. We wanted to play to cricket but accidently we broke the water pipe ! For dinner, I ate rice with fish curry which is cooked with fish head ! Monday – 30/03/2020 Today we decided to watch Hollywood movies ! Guns Akimbo : Miles is a video game developer who inadvertently becomes the next participant in a real-life death match that streams online. While Miles soon excels at running away from everything, that won't help him outlast Nix, a killer at the top of her game. Blood shot : Based on the bestselling comic book, Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, he's an unstoppable force -stronger than ever and able to heal instantly. But in controlling his body, the company has sway over his mind and memories, too. Now, Ray doesn't know what's real and what's not - but he's on a mission to find out. Spies in disguise : Super spy Lance Sterling and scientist Walter Beckett are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is not. But what Walter lacks in social skills he makes up for in smarts and invention, creating the awesome gadgets Lance uses on his epic missions. But when events take an unexpected turn, Walter and Lance suddenly have to rely on each other in a whole new way. And if this odd couple can't learn to work as a team, the whole world is in peril. The boy who harnessed the wind : A 13-year-old boy is thrown out of the school he loves when his family can no longer afford the fees. He sneaks into the library and learns how to build a windmill to save his village from a famine. We watched 4 movies and we like it so much ! I think that The boy who harnessed the wind was my favorite because it's a good motivationional movie. Through this movie, we can learn about how a boy with out going to school took help from the library books to make a windmill in their village to bring water. Tuesday – 31/03/2020 Today, I got up at 9 am and then I went to the rooftop to have my breakfast : I ate puri and potato curry. After having breakfast, I played UNO with friends and then at 1 pm, I had my lunch. This evening, we offered flowers and candles to Ali Hussain uncle for his memory. Our NGO was founded by Ali Hussain in 2000. Today was his death anniversary so we had a minute of silence for him. He had this dream of opening a NGO for the poor children but before he could do anything he died because of stomach infection. Wednesday – 01/04/2020 Today, I will show you around my place ! First, here is my bedroom I share with 4 boys : Raju Chakraborty, Raja Ratha, Sameer Mondal and Sourav Dey. And this is the rooftop where we eat : And this is inside the NGO where we play football or cricket ! Thank you for reading my diary !

The Young Women of GV Kathmandu went back to their Village since last week. Their Coaches ask them to send to them every day a video of presentation of where they are staying now. Saraswati Soren 26 years old, Management Step, First Batch GV Kathmandu Sita Kalikote 25 years old, Management Step, First Batch GV Kathmandu Come visiting the home of Bina BK, 20 years old, and Sarmila Sunar, 17 years old, First Batch Green Village Kathmandu, Nepal >>here

In Mumbai, Gaelle Muraca drew for the Youths the important steps to handle this second week of confinement.

Mary Joyce Parco, 22 years old, Responsibility Step, Fashion 4 Youth program, Payatas, Manila, Philippines What does it mean to be a woman? Gaëlle Xatard, her coach, drew her strengh! See the answer of Khin Pa Pa Myo, 22yo, Management Step, Cotton 4 You program, her sister Khin Tazin Aye, 20yo, Responsibility Step, Myanmade program and their grandmother Daw Bo Ma, 73yo - LPC Hlaing Thar Yar, Myanmar >> here See the answer of Saraswati Soren, 26yo, Management Step, Green Village Kathmandu, Nepal >> here

Sabriti Basnet, 20 years old, Management Step, First Batch, Green Village Kathmandu I have been listening to various media, Covid-19 is running without a passport, visa surbiter, flying, crossing borders and consolidating the world. Not only that, things like self-quarantine, self-isolation, social distance have become commonplace these days. As we are training in the Green Village, the impact of the spread of coronavirus gradually begins to occur in Nepal as well. After coming home with my family for several months, I was able to relax my mind. Gradually a wave of fear and panic ensued, with our Nepal government enforcing stricter rules, Initially there was no clear information about Covid 19, but since Corona has started killing a lot of people in other countries, I too have been spending the day with my siblings saying that I have to wash my hands 3 times a day and talk about Covid 19. Perhaps, nowadays it is not just me, people from all over the country are living in a cage for fear of the virus. Even though the country is locked up, it is good to see from one side, that even the tens of thousands of children, who do not even come to the village, have gone to visit their parents. Baba (father), who always comes home at 8/9 pm, will stay home all day and play with his children. The lockdown is for parents who have not seen a child, for many years with children who are not sitting with their parents for many hours. For many years, birds that have not been able to fly in the open sky have been a major cause of emotional and family contact. My mother is a vegetable seller, she goes to pick vegetables from the farm without even eating anything early. Maybe my mother gives family a priority over her health! I couldn't remind her. Now, because of Covid-19 or black-market by a trader is increasing, both wholesale and retail department stores now have a shortage of cleaning liquid, hand-washing liquid, rice, gas, vegetables, and water in Kathmandu. Masks and sanitizers are almost finished as soon as they arrive at different stores. I went four times to buy vegetables but had to return empty handed. But thankfully, the gas was brought to the shopkeeper four days ago by naming the person, even though we had sat in line from 8 am to 4 pm. We, middle class people, often use sanitizer, tissue, and masks. Even though my mom and brother didn't even know how to use the sanitizer, thankfully me and my sister reminded them. Since the order of 'Stay Home' or 'Shelter in Place' has been implemented all over the state, my neighbors have been sitting in the sun and talking with each other about their societies. Neighbors were saying, "The Hindus used to know how to salute long ago; but now the whole world has finally adopted the practice of salutation." Maybe they were laughing towards the world. Whatever the case, hopefully as the days pass slowly, Covid-19 may even disappear from the world...

“Write about how the quarantine has changed your way of living and how you feel about it” Coach Anthony Bouin Before the lockdown, team Eco construction was building a laundry house. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to develop their building skills with the help of trainers. The youth of Eco Construction has a good team spirit, that’s why they’re enjoying the creation of their new project. As their coach I’m very proud of them and how they handle this virus crisis. For most of them they are now the only ones providing money/food and basic needs for their families. This huge responsibility is very challenging for them and they are showing great strengths that will be helpful all their lives. Some have to provide food for 11 people, others have to take care of babies, and some provide medical care to grandparents. Team Eco Construction is staying connected through messenger, we talk everyday and motivate ourselves to avoid being bored or to panic. Leo June Hernandez 19 years old, Autonomy Step Being in quarantine is not easy, It will change everything that you are already comfortable with. Living a life with limited movement because you cannot go outside. Although you miss the normal living we must obey the rules for our safety. I feel bored but I cannot do anything about it because after all, it's for our health. The quarantine also has a good benefit to the family. You can have quality time together and while you are in your house you can know yourself briefly, you can recognize some things that you don't really know that you can do... And about the second question...you can say that people are asking or waiting for the help of the government because as of now there is no help by them and because people can't work they don't have enough money to buy the things that they need to fulfill their daily needs. Hows my quarantine change our way of living by giving a chance to get more communication with my family but in another way we suffer because we don't have work so we don't have enough budget to get some foods, needs or wants but it also helps us to make our healths in a good condition. Noel Paller 18 years old, Management Step Because of the quarantine, many of us can't go to school, work, graduations etc. They also can't do the way of living before coronavirus spread, like playing sports, places they want to go. Also about the family at home, the kids/youth are thinking how they can help their family for food, water, how to pay the bills. They have only one choice that is the relief goods giving by the government. Nino Cajusay 21 years old, Management Step How’s my home quarantine. For me it’s sad because I can’t do what I want to do, I can't go to the one’s I want to go, I can't get along with friends. But I'm happy because I'm happy with the whole family and bonding together and we work with each other and we have time for ourselves. Our relationships have been great because we have family together. Even though we are not with our father it's ok because I can feel his love for us. I pray that all may go well and that our lives will return. And the epidemic will disappear in our country and around the world. God bless us all. Angelica Corbilla 22 years old, Responsibility Step How does this home quarantine have an effect on me? First, it's boring at home, I can't hang out with my friends, I can't do what I used to do in my daily life. This quarantine is changing how the people work, play, live etc. Since my uncle had no work in these quarantine days, we have to budget our money to buy food and some stuff that we will really need. I know that this will be hard for us. But we need to obey the rules, so the virus won't spread and survive this pandemic crisis. Yes, we all must continue to stay home and do what’s asked of us, of course, for the greater good. Nathaniel Calago 17 years old, Autonomy Step How does this quarantine have an effect on me? It's not easy for me because I can't go outside to play volleyball. It's boring just to stay at home. I can't hang out with my friends. But we have to obey the rules given by the government. So when the virus is gone, we can live normal again. Christian Betcher 18 years old, Autonomy Step Because of the Quarantine I can't go in LP4Y and I can't play basketball and I can’t bond with my friends and I’m so bored in our house and sometimes we feel hungry because we don't have stock of foods when we have stock it is so fast to eat because we are 9 so many consume. Rochelle Lorenzo 19 years old, Autonomy Step How does this time quarantine have an effect on me? First, it's not easy for me because I can't do what I want to do and I can't go wherever I want to go. It's so boring at home, but for me, it had a good effect on me because my auntie and I are bonding together and I know more about her and we have more closure and I and my cousin have time to know each other. These past few days it's been so hard for me because of the home quarantine but I can handle it through watching tv and playing games, talking with my cousins. It's so hard because my auntie had no work because of the quarantine that's why we need to budget our money for our food. We all know that it's so hard for us but we need to survive this kind of problem by prayer and obey the rules. Stay home for safety. WE CAN SURVIVE IT... Aljhon Albufera 23 years old, Management Step How does this home quarantine have an effect on me? First, its boring because I can't go outside, I can't go to GV and I can't see my friends especially my team and our Coach ever since the quarantine was started my family was affected because we don't know where we can get money to buy our daily needs because work is prohibited so all of my sisters didn't go to work so they can't support us now and they also need to support themselves... The Barangay gives us support but it's not enough. Divina Mangilag 19 years old, Management Step How does this quarantine have an effect on me? First, I can't go outside and hang with my friends. I am bored in our house, I can't do what I usually do everyday. We don't have enough money to buy food and our daily needs. But still we need to follow this home quarantine so we can be safe. Carlo San Juan 23 years old, Responsibility Step By the quarantine that is happening now, we are not allowed to go outside in our house its limited. I only do fixing broken things in our home and I also do crush trunks that can be used to make a fire to cook our foods, but after that we don't have to do so it's very boring. My family dont know where we can get money to buy our daily needs because they can't work because of this quarantine. Perhaps it changed everything in our daily lives, but it's for us to avoid this contiguous virus. We're just waiting for the relief goods from the government, but they didn't give anything, so that's why we are asking for help in LP4Y just to survive in this crisis that we're facing now.

News from Jashen Mae, Youth of Deco'me Program, Green Village Calauan During the first week, my daily life got boring because we can not go outside anytime we want and it's very irritating. But, I understand that this lockdown and community quarantine process will help to decrease the virus ability to transfer and I know that we should do this for our own safety and since I came in LP4Y I didn't have the chance to take care of my baby whole day so for me it's opportunity and I'm glad that I'm with my baby and i had the chance to take care of her As the days had passed, It's very sad to think that we are facing a big problem There's a lot of changes because of the epidemic and it has a big effect on us. It changed our daily living and it became worse to the point that so many workers have to stop their work and it means no money. My family and I are also victims of no work no pay in the Philippines. That's why I'm thankful for the allowance I receive in LP4Y. It's not enough for everything but I'm grateful because it helps us to buy our daily needs. Now we are waiting for the help from the government because if the lockdown takes too long we admit that we badly need the help of the government and we are expecting relief goods because as we have no work during lockdown we can't buy our daily needs for the next next days of this lockdown. News from Leo, STAR of Deco'me Program, Green Village Calauan Hello, I am Leo Avendano Cudog and this is my story. I am 22 years old. I am living with my loving family here in Site 1 Brgy. Dayap Calauan Laguna. I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters and I am the oldest. My mother’s occupation is to be a housewife and my father is a construction worker but he doesn't have work right now due to coronavirus. Indeed, no one who has a job right now. So all of us stay in our house just to avoid the virus and prevent it. We are facing a very dangerous problem and it's CoronaVirus (COVID19). All the residents here are afraid because they don't know what to do because no one has a job and most of them have a lack of food, lack of medicine, lack of money so they are wondering if they are going to survive due to this pandemic coronavirus. But they are still praying to our Almighty God that he will help us and save our world and to cure this kind of very harmful virus in our country. And I pray for all the LP4Y Community that we will help us to provide a good and quality service to all the youths and families who are suffering right now. Thank you LP4Y. News from Melinda Malate, STAR of Deco'me Program, Green Village Calauan Good day, I'm Melinda Malate currently working in Joshua's meat products as store personnel but unfortunately, I had to stay at home because of the coronavirus epidemic. If I continue to work there's a possibility that I would be infected so I decided to take a rest. My family is also affected because of enhanced community quarantine so they don't have work right now. In total, we are 6 people in the family. Our neighborhood and us is just like a little kid dependent or relying on the help of the government who will give us rice, can goods. It is very hard to manage because they want to give us only 2kg of rice and no can. How about the next day? That question always enters our minds. We won't die from the virus but from starvation so we are hoping that some people who open arms are able to help us even in the small things. After I get my savings out I'll make sure it will be our financial support I'll buy essential things that will help us to survive in this kind of situation especially foods, gas, personal hygiene. Thank you LP4Y for helping us.

[English version below] Jeanne Allard, 3ème année de mission (connue et aimée de tous maintenant) en ce moment à Katmandou, Népal, doit ouvrir le premier LPC à Beyrouth, Liban. Bon avant de parler des Jeunes (avec full stars in my eyes), je vais d'abord recentrer la situation sur moi et la crise actuelle. Je m'appelle Jeanne et je suis chez LP4Y depuis août 2017. Et alors voilà, la crise pour moi, ça représente quoi? Alors c'est pas ouf… Clairement, je ne suis pas très forte en gestion des urgences. Je racontais à mes colocs la semaine dernière que je ne savais pas gérer ce genre de situations. ************************* Exemple 1 : il y a de cela quelques années, j'étais chez ma mère et une prise de courant s'est mise à puer le plastique, je vois une mini incandescence, et me voilà courant dans tout l'appartement en criant à ma mère : "MAMAN, IL FAUT QU'ON APPELLE LES POMPIERS, FAUT QU'ON APPELLE LES POMPIERS!!!" devant son regard calme et surpris. Exemple 2 : pour ceux qui ont déjà participé à des Welcome Weeks, vous vous souvenez peut-être du jeu de rôle "un Jeune fait un malaise" => que faîtes-vous ? Bon alors, je me souviens plus si on l'avait fait pendant mes WW (après, ma formation remonte à un certain temps maintenant ^^) mais j'ai vécu la situation en réel dans mon premier centre à Malwani, Mumbai : Amreen perd connaissance, elle a du mal a respiré, on entend un espère de râle très léger qui diminue petit à petit. J'ai l'impression qu'on est en train de la perdre. Et là, au lieu de rassurer l'équipe, d'être calme, je perds le contrôle. Je perds mon contrôle ! Je me mets à tourner autour de la table, incapable de ne rien faire et d'être impuissante, je crie à Mehtab et Faisal d'aller chercher un médecin, je sors, je cours chez Raju pour chercher de l'aide, je trouve tout le monde bien trop lent face à l'urgence de la situation, je me mets à courir dans la rue en criant "help, we need a doctor". Au final, Amreen va très bien et s'est remise de son malaise, mais - vous l'aurez compris - j'ai fait tout ce qu'il ne fallait pas faire. ******************************* Donc voilà, les situations d'urgence ne sont clairement pas mon fort ! J'aimerais bien être plus à l'aise, mais il se passe un truc dans ma tête qui fait que j'ai besoin d'agir pour ne pas avoir l'impression d'être impuissante (ce qui nous arrive pourtant forcément à certains moments de nos vies) et que je perds mon calme. Du coup, le corona virus => situation d'urgence, bha c'est pas quelque chose que je gère très bien. En plus pour moi au début, ça a été pour moi : "Corona = annulation/report de l'ouverture du Liban = pas de coaching de Jeunes proche" (je précise que j'avais pas encore compris l'ampleur de la crise…ça m'arrive d'être un peu lente) Donc quand j'ai appris que la mission Liban était reportée, j'étais en larmes, j'ai passé quelques heures à pleurer, et à rire aussi parfois, en me disant que j'étais bien ridicule de pleurer comme ça. Et quand j'y repense, pourquoi j'ai pleuré ? Tout simplement parce que mes plans étaient contrecarrés. Moi je voulais faire mon ouverture au Liban avec une nouvelle équipe qui avait l'air au top, et lancer une équipe de Jeunes, les accompagner et les voir grandir. Et puis… bha non ! En gros, grosse poussée d'égoïsme sur le moment. J'en suis consciente et je n'en suis pas fière. Mais c'était ma manière de réagir à la situation sur le coup, et j'étais contrariée de pas pouvoir faire comme je l'avais prévu, de devoir gérer une situation pleine d'incertitude. Et alors comment je la vis cette crise maintenant ? Eh bien un peu mieux ! Alors, comme chacun d'entre nous, je suis inquiète pour mes proches et dans ma tête, je ressemble toujours à un petit oiseau qui sautille de tous les côtés en mode "Que faire ? Que faire ?", mais j'ai une coloc en mode "bâteau qui fend les eaux en pleine tempête" donc ça rassure (merci Pauline !). Et surtout, j'ai pensé aux Jeunes et je croie que c'est une bonne occasion pour m'en inspirer (encore et toujours). Pourquoi les Jeunes ? Eh bien en y réfléchissant un peu, je me suis rendue compte que ce qui me rend mal à l'aise dans cette situation, c'est le manque de contrôle. Le fait que je ne sais pas, que je ne maîtrise pas. Cette incertitude. Or quand je pense aux Jeunes, je me dis que c'est une situation qu'ils vivent en fait quotidiennement : "Je ne sais pas si on va me faire confiance un jour et si je vais trouver un boulot" "Je ne sais pas si je vais trouver de l'argent pour faire manger mon enfant ce soir" "Je ne sais pas si je vais avoir assez d'argent pour inscrire mon enfant à l'école lors des prochaines inscriptions" "Je ne sais pas si je pourrais me racheter une bouteille de gaz quand celle-ci sera finie" Et ils sont toujours debout. Ils se battent, comme ils peuvent et avec les moyens qu'ils ont, mais ils se battent. C'est sûrement un champ de bataille à l'intérieure (malgré mes 2 ans et demi au sein de LP4Y, je ne suis toujours pas capable d'imaginer ce qu'ils ont traversé), mais ils sont là. Chaque jour est une crise pour eux. Donc s'ils sont les preuves que c'est possible, je me dis que je vais essayer de faire comme eux. Faire avec et faire au mieux. Et il y a deux jours, je me suis aussi rendue compte qu'en fait, les Jeunes Mamans que je voyais ici au Népal, c'était pas leur première grosse catastrophe. Retour en arrière : 2015 : tremblement de terre au Népal. C'était il y a 5 ans. Et Srijana, Manika, Kushum et les autres Jeunes, elles ont 20 ans. Du coup, oui, elles ont vécu le tremblement de terre, et elle ont vécu l'après. En en parlant avec Valentine, coach à Katmandou, elle me raconte ce que lui conté les Jeunes sur cette période difficile : pas de nourriture, la faim, les prix qui augmentent (celui du gaz comme ceux des aliments), des nouilles instantanées qui sont passés d'un prix de 10 roupies le paquet à 100 roupies, etc. Bref, je suis bouche bée et pour moi ce sont des mots. J'essaie de me faire une film dans ma tête de ce à quoi ça a pu ressembler, mais ça reste un film de 10 secondes sans sensations. Les Jeunes, elle ont vécu tout ça, elles ont persévéré, et elles sont encore là, avec leurs sourires, leurs espoirs. Donc on va essayer de faire pareil. Bref, un grand merci à elles pour cette leçon. So, before talking about the Youth (with full stars in my eyes), I will focus on me and the ongoing crisis, that we are all living. My name is Jeanne and I am at LP4Y since August 2017. And so what is it the crisis for me ? Well, it is not something good…. Honestly, I am not that good in term of crisis management. I was telling my roommates last week that I was unable to handle this kind of situation. ************************* Example 1 : some years ago, I was at my Mum's house. I smelt an electric plug burning and saw a tiny spark, and here I was, running all across the apartment, shouting to my mother : "MUM, WE NEED TO CALL THE FIREMEN, WE NEED TO CALL THE FIREMEN!!!", while she was peacefully staring at me. Example 2 : for those who already took part to Welcome Weeks, you might remember of a role play : "a Youth faints" => what do you do ? Humm, I cannot remember if we did it during my WW (but mine were a while ago ^^) but I live this case live in my first LP4Y home in Malwani, Mumbai : Amreen faints, she does not breath easily, we can hear a very light wheeze, which shrinks slowly. I have the impression that we are losing her. And at that moment, instead of being a model of self control, I lose the control. I lose my control ! I begin walking around the table, unable to stay inactive and powerless, I shout to Mehtab and Faisal to go and get a doctor, I go out, I run to Raju's shop to find some help, I found everyone very very very slow in this emergency situation, I begin running in the street shouting "help, we need a doctor". For the record, Amreen is now very fine, but - I think you got it - I did everything wrong. ******************************* So yes, emergency situation / crisis management is not my cup of tea ! I would love to be more at ease and more quiet, but something happens in my head, which makes me move, makes me feel I need to act not to be powerless (even if this occurs at some points in your life) and that I am not quiet anymore. And in addition, in the beginning, for me it was : "Corona = report of Lebanon opening = no coaching in a close future" (for the record, I had not understood how big this crisis was at that point… yes I can be a bit slow) So when I heard my mission in Lebanon was postponed, I burst into tears, and I spent quite a while crying, and laughing also sometimes, because I found myself ridiculous to cry like that. And when I think about it, why was I crying ? Simply because I could not go through with my plans. I wanted to do my opening of Lebanon with a team that seemed great, launch a team of Youth in Beirut, support them and see them grow. Simple, right? And : nope ! In a nutself, I was being soooo selfish. I am aware of it and I am not proud of it. But it was my way of dealing with the situation, and I was upset not to be able to go through with my plans, and that I had to deal a situation full of uncertainty. And what about now ? Euh, it is a bit better ! So, as every one of us, I am worried for my family and friends, and in my head, I look like a little bird who is jumping up and down thinking "What can I do? What can I do ?", but I have a roommate looking more like a "ship going straight into the ocean in the middle of a storm" so it makes it easier (thanks Pauline !). And also, I thought about the Youth and I think now is the moment to get inspiration from them (but as usual in fact). So why the Youth ? Well, thinking about it, I realized that what made me not at ease here, was lack of control. The fact that I don't know. This state of uncertainty. But when I think about the Youth, they face this kind of situation every day : "I don't know if someone will trust me one day and if I will have a job" "I don't know if I will find enough money so my child can eat tonight" "I don't know if I will have enough money that my child can go to school next year" "I don't know if I can afford to buy another bottle of gaz when this one is finished" And they are still standing. They are fighting, as they can and with what they have, but they are fighting. It might be a battle field inside (despite my 2 years and a half with LP4Y, I am still unable to picture what they went through), but they are here. Every day is a crisis for them. So if they are the proof that it is possible, I figure I will try to do like them. Do what I can and do my best. And 2 days ago, I also realized that for the Young mothers that I was meeting in Nepal, it was not the first crisis of that kind. Ok, let's go back a bit : 2015 : big earthquake in Nepal. 5 years ago. And Srijana, Manika, Kushum and the other Youth, they are around 20 years old. So yes, they lived the earthquake and the after. Speaking about it with Valentine, she told me what the Youth told her about this difficult time : no food, hunger, prices rose (for gaz as well as for food), ready made noodles prices increased from 10 to 100 roupies, etc. In a nutshell, I am speechless, and it remains only words for me. I am trying to picture it in my head, but - once again - it is only a 10-second film without any sensation. The Youth, they lived through that, they fought, and they are here, with their smiles and their hopes. So I'll try to do the same. Thank you to them to be so inspiring.

[English version below] Rachel, Alliance Coordinator J’ai des difficultés à dormir d’ordinaire, alors évidemment en ces temps extraordinaires mes problèmes de sommeil ne sont pas allés en s’améliorant. Samedi 21 mars, je me suis réveillée vers 3 heures du matin, l’heure préférée de mon insomnie. Comme d’habitude j’ai attrapé mon téléphone - qui lui ne dort jamais. L’écran affichait un message de mon père envoyé quelques minutes plus tôt : « On s’appelle dès demain matin, tôt pour toi. La situation s’accélère. Même maintenant si tu peux ! Bises. Dad ». Evidemment j’ai pris peur, j’ai pensé qu’il s’était passé quelque chose à la maison, je voyais déjà ma mère en insuffisance respiratoire errant dans un couloir blanc-cassé, à la recherche d’un lit qui pourrait l’accueillir. La seconde suivante j’appelais mon père. Il allait très bien, maman aussi. Seulement il avait vu aux informations que les aéroports étaient en train de fermer en Inde. Il était en plein délire de persécution : en tant qu’occidentale, en tant que « blanche », j’allais être la cible d’indiens en furie qui voudraient m’étrangler, par désespoir, par peur, par rejet. J’allais être coincée dans un pays qui n’aurait pas les moyens de me soigner si cela était nécessaire. J’allais être confrontée à une situation atroce, où dans les bidonvilles, il y aurait des centaines de malades, et puis des gens qui n’auraient plus accès à l’eau potable, à la nourriture, qui allaient devenir fous ! Il me demandait de l’appeler alors que c’était le milieu de la nuit pour me dire ça ??? J’ai été ferme. Bien sûr, pas question de rentrer. Ce serait insensé à tous niveaux : au niveau sanitaire global puisque la consigne est de rester confiné ; au niveau personnel, puisque ce satané virus je risquais 10 fois plus de l’attraper en courant après un avion ; mais surtout ce serait insensé moralement : fuir maintenant une mission, mes collègues/amies, et surtout les Jeunes alors même qu’il nous fallait avancer, plus que jamais, d’un seul et même pas ? Et puis quoi ? Je n’étais vraiment pas mal en point en Inde. Il est certain que la côte de popularité de la couleur blanche est en baisse ces derniers temps mais on continue à entretenir de bonnes relations avec nos voisins et à rigoler avec le marchand de légumes. La seule différence à présent c’est qu’on essaie plus de marchander quoi que ce soit - ce serait vraiment indécent… Et puis un Centre avec un Rooftop sur lequel pouvoir faire les 100 pas lorsque le cerveau surchauffe, ce n’est pas un endroit si mauvais pour rester confiné. Comme dirait ma tante, qui, si elle se trouve physiquement dans son studio du 16eme à Paris, en réalité vit sur une autre planète : « Il n’y a rien de plus smart que ce confinement en Inde ». Bref pour en revenir à mon père, j’ai conclu sèchement « maintenant j’aimerai aller dormir. On se parle demain. » Je les comprends mes parents. Et les vôtres aussi sans doute. Ils n’ont jamais eu aussi peur pour nous. C’est bien le signe de la parenté, d’être soucieux : chaque seconde dans sa chair se sentir inquiet pour cet autre être qu’on appelle son enfant. Mais alors en ce moment, c’est du souci ++ qu’ils se font, ça leur donne la migraine. Le lendemain ma mère m’envoyait un article d’une auteure italienne parue dans Libération, en me disant qu’elle n’avait pu rester insensible à une phrase en particulier, « Vous manqueront comme jamais vos enfants adultes, et vous recevrez comme un coup de poing dans l’estomac la pensée que, pour la première fois depuis qu’ils ont quitté la maison, vous n’avez aucune idée de quand vous les reverrez. ». Evidemment. C’est alors que ça m’a sauté aux yeux : j’étais adulte ! En réalité je l’étais peut-être depuis longtemps mais c’était la première fois que j’en prenais pleinement conscience. La preuve en était là, devant moi : j’avais des responsabilités à prendre et ces responsabilités je les connaissais mieux que mon propre père. Le lendemain j’ai fait un appel vidéo avec mes parents. Ca nous a fait beaucoup de bien à tous les trois. Avec tout le travail que j’ai en ce moment, j’ai du mal à dégager du temps pour échanger avec mes proches. On s’est parlé calmement, mon père était sorti de la crise. J’ai repris tout ce que j’avais abordé avec lui la veille, je leur ai exposé les faits et aussi les actions que l’on parvenait à mettre en place pour les Jeunes. Et surtout l’importance que revêtait aujourd’hui notre présence auprès d’eux. Ça les a rassuré de me voir assurée, au clair avec moi-même et avec ce que j’avais à faire. Ma mère m’a envoyé un message après coup « Mon trésor merci mille fois pour cette conversation tout à l’heure, j’étais très émue et impressionnée par ta sagesse, la justesse de tes propos et ta douceur… je suis si fière de toi et tu me fais tant de bien ! Je t’aime tant… ». J’ai pleuré en lisant son message, mes premières larmes depuis longtemps. J’étais peut-être adulte mais je n’avais jamais eu autant envie de me blottir dans ses bras. C’est normal qu’on craque, qu’on ait peur, c’est normal qu’on s’inquiète pour nos proches, et qu’ils s’inquiètent pour nous. Mais finalement, il faut simplement qu’on continue à se dresser sur nos deux pieds, c’est encore le meilleur moyen de ne pas tomber ! Le jeudi suivant je recevais un autre message de mon père – mon père qui utilise tellement de petits noms affectueux en ce moment, il m’appelle « ma chérie », « ma princesse », ça me fait sourire, ce n’est vraiment pas son genre d’habitude : « Bonjour ma chérie, Difficile en ce moment de savoir ce que je ressens, entre tourments, inquiétude et confiance en la vie. Je n’aurais su imaginer il y a encore quelques semaines vivre une telle situation. Comme un film mais c’est la réalité qui nous laisse incrédules. Et comment imaginer la façon dont nous individuellement et collectivement sortir d’un tel scénario. Si tu l’avais écris et me l’avais soumis, je t’aurais certainement mis en garde contre ses invraisemblances ! Pour répondre plus simplement, je crois que je vais bien et je m’efforce de rester dans cet état. Je t’embrasse et je t’aime » Alors à tous je voudrais vous laisser le même conseil que mon papa, parce qu’en fin de compte, une fois sorti de la psychose, et les émotions décantées, on observe que oui on va bien et que la seule chose à faire c’est de s’efforcer de rester dans cet état. Et d’aider au maximum ceux qui nous entourent à faire de même. Laissez-les simplement vous dire qu’ils vous aiment, car c’est bien de cela qu’il s’agit, d’amour, corona ou pas corona ! Ordinarily I have some trouble sleeping, then, of course, in these extraordinary times my sleep disorders didn’t get any better. On Saturday the 21st of march, I woke up around 3am, my insomnia’s favorite hour. As usual I grabbed my phone - which never sleeps. The screen displayed a message from my father sent a few minutes earlier : “We call each other first thing in the morning tomorrow, early for you. The situation is escalating. Even now if you can! Kisses. Dad.” Obviously I got scared, I thought something had happened at home, I could already see my mother in respiratory failure wandering through an off-white corridor, looking for a bed that could accommodate her. He was doing well, and so was my mom. But he had seen in the news that airports were closing in India. He was in the midst of a delirium : as a Westerner, as a "white person", I was going to be the target of furious Indians who wanted to strangle me, out of desperation, out of fear, out of rejection. I was going to be stuck in a country that couldn't afford to treat me if it was necessary. I was going to be faced with an atrocious situation, where in the slums there would be hundreds of sick people, and then people who would no longer have access to clean water, to food, who would go mad! He was asking me to call him in the middle of the night to tell me that ??? I’ve been firm. Of course, no way I’ll come back. It would make no sense at all : first at a global sanitary level, since the instruction is to remain confined; on a personal level, since I am more likely to catch the damn virus by running after a plane; but, above all, it would be morally senseless : running away now from my mission, my colleagues/friends, and especially the Youths, when we had to move forward, more than ever, in one and the same step? And then what? I wasn’t in bad shape in India. No doubt that the popularity rating of the white color is decreasing lately but we still have good relations with our neighbors and laugh with the vegetables’ grocer. The only difference now is we don’t bargain anymore - it would be indecent… And a center with a rooftop on which we can pace when the brain overheats, it’s not such a bad place to stay in containment. As would say my aunt, who, if she stands physically in her apartment in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, actually lives on another planet : “There is nothing as “smart” as this containment in India. “ To come back to my father, I crisply concluded “now, I would like to go to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow.” I understand my parents. And I'm sure yours do, too. They never have been so worried for us. It's a sign of kinship,to be concerned : every second in your flesh to feel worried for this other being called your child. So, at this time, this is a huge concern they’re living with, which causes them headaches. The next day, my mom was sending me an article, by an italian author, published in Libération, saying to me she couldn't remain indifferent especially to one sentence, ‘Will be missed as never your grown-up children, and you’ll receive as a punch in your stomach the thought that, for the first time since they left home, you don’t have any idea when you’ll see them again.” Naturally. That’s when it jumped out at me : I was an adult! In reality maybe I was for a longer time but it was the first time I became fully aware of it. The proof was here, in front of me : I had some responsibilities to take and I knew these responsibilities better than my dad. The following day we had a video call with my parents. It benefited a lot of the three of us. With all the work I have at the moment, I struggle to free some time to connect with my relatives. We talked to each other peacefully, my father was out of his crisis. I took up everything I had discussed with him the day before, I explained to them the facts and also the actions that we were able to put in place for Youths. I exposed the facts to them and also the actions we were establishing for the Youths. And most of all, the importance of being near them. It reassured them to see me reassured, clear with myself and what I had to do. My mother sent me a message afterward, “my sweetheart thank you about a thousand times for this conversation, I was very touched and impressed by your wisdom, the pertinence of your words and your gentleness… I am so proud of you and you make me feel so good! I love you so much…”. I cried reading her message, my first tears since in a long time. Maybe I was an adult but I had never desired so much to snuggle into her arms. It's normal to break down, we feel scared, we are worried for our loved ones, and they worry for us. But finally, it needs to continue to stand up on our both feet, it is still the best way to not fall down! The next thursday I received another message from my father - my father who uses so many affectionate nicknames currently, he calls me “my darling”, “my princess”, it makes me smile, it’s not really his type usually : “Hello my darling, Hard to know at the moment how I fell, between torments, concerns and faith in life.I couldn't have imagined just a few weeks ago that I would be in such a situation. It's like a film, but it's the reality that leaves us incredulous. And how to imagine the way we can individually and collectively go out of this scenario. If you had written it and have given it to me, I would have certainly told you about his implausibilities! To answer in an easier way, I think I’m feeling good and I’m trying to stay in this state. I kiss you and I love you. “ So to all of you I would like to leave you the same advice as my dad, because in the end, once out of the psychosis, and the emotions have settled down, we observe that yes we are fine and that the only thing to do is to try to stay in this state. And to help as much as possible those around us to do the same. Just let them tell you that they love you, because that's what it's all about, love, corona or no corona!