The Children’s Action Foundation, a player in child protection for almost 70 years, aims to welcome children in danger, based on placement actions carried out by juvenile judges and to prevent the separation of siblings. They are accepted in family-type villages, the aim of which is to bring siblings together for the welfare of the children. One of these villages, currently under construction, will open in April 2026 in Treffiagat (Finistère).
In 2022, the Childhood Action Foundation positioned itself following a request from the Finistère departmental council calling for a project to open a children’s village. “To open a village, you have to get a request from the department,” explains Julie Basset, director of development at the foundation. “On this project, Treffiagat town hall responded to the call for expressions of interest launched by the municipal department. And it was from here that the project of building an eco-village for siblings could start. »
City hall sold the 5,847 m2 land in the Merlot district to the foundation “under very favorable conditions. This is a strong gesture from the city,” said Julie Basset.
Work on the six houses, each accommodating six children, must be completed by April 2026. “The children will be accompanied by family educators who will accompany them 24 hours a day, working in pairs and taking turns every 8 days,” stressed the construction director. “We will welcome siblings, in the broadest sense: brothers and sisters, but also half-siblings. So they will not be separated. They are not all from Finistère. »
This foundation finances all initial investments, from purchasing land to building a house. Then, when the village opens, the departmental council pays the foundation a day’s fee per child, which covers all operational and investment costs.
A dozen children have already been accepted nearby
Treffiagat’s sister village will only be completed in April 2026, but dozens of children are already being accommodated in accommodation in the city and educated in state and private schools in the city and surrounding areas.
The city’s mayor, Nathalie Carrot-Tanneau, is proud to participate in this project. “It seemed clear to us to respond to the request from the department’s board,” he said. “Many children are taken from their families and we have to take action and ensure that these children have a good future. We have a wonderful environment to offer them, the city is located on the seashore.”
The plot sold to the foundation by the city government is ideally located near a sports park, close to schools and the sea. “In addition to schools, the municipal association has also taken over this project. The Secular Association has prepared homework help for children,” said the council member.
Further north in Finistère, another sibling village is also being built in the town of Pleyben.
