“Their smiles brighten our days”.

Behind-the-scenes services, essential to the daily life of La Maison

The days at La Maison are punctuated by educational activities, phases of care and rest that enable the children in care to take, each day, another step towards recovery. Sometimes less visible on a daily basis, services such as laundry and cleaning are just as essential in contributing to the well-being of the residents.

Meet Naomi, Patricia, Elsa, Azeb and Rhama. They form a particularly committed, welcoming and caring team, under the responsibility of Anne Hehlen.

“We accompany the children on their healing journey, encourage them in difficult times, and pamper them as much as we can.”

Personalised welcome at the linen room

On arrival at La Maison, each child receives clothes and shoes labelled with his or her name. The laundry staff prepares a clothing kit of around thirty items, including trousers, jogging suits, t-shirts, long-sleeved jumpers, sweatshirts, pyjamas, bathrobes, shoes and jackets – all adapted to the season.

“Our colleagues in the administration department share with us information about the child’s gender, height and age. This enables us to select clothes and shoes that might suit him/her,” explains Naomi Berta, who has been working at La Maison for nearly eight years.

Trying on clothes is essential. In the first few days after arrival, usually the next day, the child goes to the laundry service to try on the clothes. “We make sure to adapt the clothes to the needs of each child, for example by offering loose-fitting clothes for a child with a cast. We take the required time for the fitting. As some children might have pain, we take great care to ensure a pleasant moment.”

“Of course, we respect the child’s intimacy,” adds Patricia May, the most senior member of the team, who has been working in the laundry department for twelve years. “Some children are very private. A fitting corner with a privacy screen is available to them”.

“We do everything we can to give them a sense of security during this time, especially to the youngest children, who sometimes cry. We talk to them, we entertain them, we play with them to give them confidence”, confides Rhama Freiermuth, who has been at La Maison for the last five years.

Key services for integrating children

The transition to the linen room is an important moment in a child’s integration, as Anne Hehlen, the manager and a loyal employee for almost thirty-eight years, likes to remind us. “The change of scenery is often difficult. The child finds himself in a different country, with another culture. Even if they don’t always understand French, children are reassured by the tone of voice, a smile or a toy. I also speak Arabic and English, which makes it easier to communicate with children who understand these languages,” adds Rhama.

“We help them to adjust,” says Patricia. “Our colleagues Azeb and Elsa also speak Arabic and Tigrigna. They can easily communicate with Ethiopian, Syrian, Tunisian and Moroccan children”. “We are often asked to interpret in the infirmary,” adds Azeb Zeray, who joined the team two years ago.

Generosity at the heart of serving the children: La Maison provides complete clothing for children thanks to donations

Thanks to the generosity of families, shops and businesses, La Maison can provide children with the clothing they need for the duration of their stay. Some children come from very modest backgrounds and arrive in Switzerland without a change of clothes. Nor are they always equipped for winter.

“Every week, we receive an average of 12 boxes of clothes and 2 large bags of shoes, or nearly 24 m³ of equipment per year”, estimates Anne.

“When they get their clothing kit, the children’s joy is palpable. Sometimes, they forget about their health concerns,” says the team, who salute the high quality of the donations. “Sometimes the clothes are new, for example in case of unsold stocks”.

Donations of clothes and shoes are sorted with the help of two volunteers, who gives few hours per week each. The sorting involves checking that the clothes are in good condition and that they meet the needs of La Maison. The team then arranges the clothes and shoes with great precision, differentiating them by season, gender and age, so that they can be easily distributed to the children.

Suitcases are also an important part of the donations received. When children return home after surgery, their luggage is filled with clothes for them and their family, crafts made during their stay and, if required, medications. Specific items such as pencils or exercise books may also be included.

Daily hygiene at La Maison: a collective commitment to children’s well-being

The cleanliness of the premises is a daily concern at La Maison. As a medical establishment, hygiene is of paramount importance. More specifically, the bedrooms, bathrooms, infirmary and dining room are cleaned daily. The laundry staff also does the washing every day. “But we don’t iron, except to stick name labels on the children’s clothes”.

The team is particularly vigilant when a virus is circulating, taking extra care to disinfect door handles.

“With our daily presence in the various outbuildings of La Maison to carry out our daily maintenance activities, we regularly come across the children who were welcomed in the linen room on their arrival. They come to us to say hello and give us a hug,” explains the team.

“We accompany the children on their healing journey, we encourage them in difficult times and we pamper them as much as we can.”

Missions that make sense every day

La Maison is run by a group of dynamic, fully dedicated people, even though they might be working behind the scenes. With their strong sense of solidarity, the linen maids say they feel like part of a family. They are pleased to provide daily meaningful help through their work, as Elsa Gebreselassie, who joined the team a year ago, points out.

“The children arrive sick. Seeing them run and go back home healed and happy is priceless. Their smiles brighten our days”, concludes the team.

Would you like to donate clothes?
Your donations are most welcome! For more information, call 024 471 26 84.

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Other services at La Maison

In addition to the laundry and cleaning of the premises, the services sector encompasses other activities that are fundamental to the smooth running of La Maison. Three people take turns in the kitchen to prepare tasty meals for the children. In addition, a caretaker ensures the maintenance of the equipment and the buildings.