Initiative. Confinement: two Thionville women create a mutual aid network to support traders

Julie-Anne Kuhn and Hélèna Genty are 29 years old, live in Thionville, and work in Luxembourg. On November 2, they jointly launched the Solidarité Thionville network which already has 600 subscribers on Instagram and whose goal is to help Thionville merchants and restaurateurs weather the storm. “We realized that Thionville has less visibility on social networks than Metz, for example, and it seemed interesting to us to make our contribution to share information and help maintain an activity,” says Hélèna. Together, for several weeks, they contacted traders and restaurateurs and collected all the data relating to deliveries, take-out, “click and collect”. “We prepare a little topo for each business that we then publish on Instagram and Facebook. In ten days, their Instagram account already has 600 subscribers. “It made sense to us to use Insta. It’s a good way to reach young people, mothers of families, and the quadruple too. “

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“A surge of solidarity”

Grocery store, cheese shop, beauty institute, optician, restaurants, etc., many businesses join this support network. “We had about 30 yesterday but things are going very quickly. We have about ten pending, ”continues Hélèna.

Inform, suggest, encourage, support. The Solidarity Thionville network has made it possible to create an impetus of solidarity in this difficult period for all the self-employed, and will be able to register sustainably over time. “We realize that in Thionville there is plenty of great energy, there are shops and restaurants that must be preserved. There is everything you need to revitalize the city. This entirely voluntary and free process is already generating good feedback from satisfied merchants. “We didn’t think people would be so receptive so quickly. Our posts are systematically republished. “

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