Moroccan Retiree Belgium Finds Friendship Across Generations
At 75, Aïcha lives with her daughter in Brussels. Yet this widowed woman of Moroccan origin suffers from loneliness. Thanks to an association, a 17-year-old high school student visits her regularly, fulfilling a vital need for outside companionship.
Widowed and retired, Aïcha shares her Brussels home with her daughter Fatima. While family presence is assured on a daily basis, it does not replace the external interactions necessary to break monotony. To address this lack of interaction, the septuagenarian crossed paths with Louise, a 17-year-old volunteer. Since last autumn, the young girl has willingly given her free time to recreate social bonds, proving that outside companionship remains essential at any age, even for people surrounded by their loved ones.
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This connection was orchestrated by Accolage. Created in 2013, this local organization now brings together 700 participants and distinguishes itself from conventional home care services. As reported by Sudinfo, the objective is not to provide medical or household care, but to ensure simple human presence. A crucial support, particularly during summer and winter periods when loneliness weighs more heavily on isolated elderly people in the Belgian capital.
During their meetings, the pair establishes no strict schedule. Visits revolve around walks in the neighborhood, memory games or informal conversations. "We talk about nothing, about everything and nothing. That way, I have someone, that way, I have company," confides Aïcha. Without constraints, the high school student manages her schedule to ensure her visits, drawing herself a deep sense of usefulness and satisfaction from these intergenerational exchanges.
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Over the months, a genuine intimacy has developed. The former chambermaid recounts her childhood in Morocco and her arrival in Belgium, while the retiree now considers her "like the child of [her] children". This complicity far exceeds the initial associative framework. Although Louise will soon move to Liège to begin medical studies in the fall, she has already guaranteed that she would maintain this friendly relationship.
