Air Liquide Foundation and "Dessine-moi la High-Tech": a partnership to brighten the daily lives of hospitalized children

As part of its mission of solidarity, the Air Liquide Foundation is supporting the project of the association "Dessine-moi la High-Tech". Its aim: to improve the quality of life of children with cancer by offering them activities based around new technologies, such as virtual reality, robotics and drone piloting.

Thanks to the Foundation's support, the association has been able to renew the equipment used for its workshops at the Institut Gustave Roussy (IGR) - France, where it has been operating since 2020. This partnership will enable 200 children to get away from their everyday lives throughout the 2024/2025 school year, having fun exploring the world of high-tech with the association's volunteers.

Mazen Sarounie, Sourcing & Operations Strategy Air Liquide Global Helium and Project Monitoring Manager for the Foundation tells us about his experience:

How did you get involved in the project?

I was seduced by the Dessine moi la High-Tech project, which offers, through new technologies, moments of escape to children with cancer during their hospital stay.

What does your mission for the Foundation involve?

The role of the Project Manager is to monitor the project over the long term, acting as a sort of relay between the Foundation and the association. Three visits are required: first, a project assessment visit, then, if the Foundation's support is confirmed, a mid-term visit and a review visit.

During my first visit, I met with the association to find out about their needs, and attended workshops to see first-hand the work carried out with the equipment and how they would assess its impact.

What feedback can you already give in the first few months of this project?

I'm delighted to be following this project, which is very serious and well supervised by the association. The volunteers do a wonderful job, and it's very touching to see the children so happy when they do these workshops: a real moment of relaxation and escape for them, which helps them forget their everyday lives.

The workshops also enable them to interact, as the robots - adapted to all ages - can connect with each other. Children who can't leave their rooms can virtually walk through the corridors with a remote-controlled robot equipped with a camera. Their parents can also participate and play with their children. These interludes are also good for parents during the hospitalization period.

A final word on your experience?

I'm delighted to be involved in this project and to play my part in brightening up the daily lives of these children. It's a real opportunity to be personally involved in the Foundation's projects while benefiting from the Citizen at Work program which allows you to do it on your own time.