To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This Better Story was collected by Nathalie Wuiame

Offering care after school

The Relay houses (maisons relais) are operated by municipalities alone or with the support of facility managers from CSOs (in this case, the Red Cross). Their primary objective is to provide parents with the option to work by offering care after school hours or during closures. These houses offer temporary socio-educational care for children and young people under 18 outside regular school hours. They primarily cater to families residing in the municipality or children attending school there.

Expanding the support to all professions

However, the availability of Maisons Relais services is not uniform across all communities. The range of services provided, including opening hours and offerings, can differ based on the municipality. Typically, these facilities operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. During the second and third lockdowns in Luxembourg, there was a critical need to establish childcare options for essential workers, particularly those in hospital settings. As a result, the state enlisted major facility managers (such as Caritas, Croix-Rouge, Arcus, Elisabeth) and prominent municipalities (including Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette) to collaboratively set up emergency structures to support parents working in hospitals. Initially, this assistance was limited to doctors and nurses, but it was subsequently expanded to encompass all professions with key roles in hospitals, including cleaners and logistics personnel.

Image by CDC from Unsplash

Find out more about the initiative

To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.

This Better Story was collected by Caritas Luxembourg

Social Disparities in Luxembourg

According to a national poverty report published by Statec in October 2016, there was an increase in the number of people living in poverty between 1996 and 2015, reaching a peak of 16.4% in 2014. The risk of poverty among foreigners living in Luxembourg is twice as high as that among local residents, with 22.3% of foreigners facing the risk compared to 7.9% of locals. Furthermore, the 2015 report highlighted that individuals with lower educational qualifications are more vulnerable to falling into poverty. In the same year, a total of 1,185 socially excluded people were recorded, making up 0.2% of the entire population.

A project for homeless women

Starting from April 2021, Caritas Luxembourg has been operating a new mixed night shelter called “L’Espoir” in Bonnevoie, under the authority of the City of Luxembourg and the Ministry for Family, Integration, and the Greater Region. This new night shelter replaced the former one in the station area, which now serves exclusively as a shelter for the most vulnerable homeless women. The first women were admitted in early May. The night shelter operates every day from 7.30 pm to 9 am, providing a safe place for women to spend the night and offering support for those seeking a fresh start. Caritas Luxembourg manages the night shelter on behalf of the Ministry for Family, Integration, and the Greater Region.

The center in Dommeldange was established on May 2, 2017, and served 60 different clients, with over 300 visits in August of that year. The shelter has a capacity of 10 beds, with one additional bed available for emergencies.

Find out more about the initiative

Photo by Gilberto Olimpio from Unsplash