Accueil Famenne, a non profit organisation in Rochefort, Belgium, is welcoming European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteers aged 18-30 for an activity running from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2028. Volunteers work across a shelter vegetable garden, a food bank and a second-hand furniture shop, with free board and lodging and pocket money. At Youth Works Hub, we reviewed the full call and gathered every task, condition and application step in one place.
The Hosting Organisation: Accueil Famenne
Accueil Famenne is a non profit organisation whose social aim is to welcome, accompany and support people whose basic needs are barely or not met, without any distinction of origins or beliefs. It aims to promote fraternity, solidarity, equality and social justice in Rochefort and surroundings.
The organisation has three main axes:
🏠 A hosting venue, "L'élan", for single-parent families and isolated and financially disadvantaged people
🥫 A food bank for people of Rochefort and surroundings facing financial difficulties
🛍️ A second hand shop, "Li Gurnî", working according to circular economy principles and providing affordable house items, whose benefits financially support the first two axes
Accueil Famenne works with economically disadvantaged and/or morally isolated people. It addresses its first activity to any adult and family in Brussels and Wallonia, while the food bank is destined to people from Rochefort and surroundings.
The Support Organisation: CBB
CBB is a nonprofit, apolitical youth organisation recognized and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. It proposes different activities based on volunteering and nonformal education: local and international workcamps, short and long term volunteering services (including ESC), leisure time activities for and with disabled people, camp leaders trainings, and more.
CBB has been active within the different European programs of volunteering and nonformal education since 1997 and hosts ESC volunteers each year.
What CBB Does for You as a Support Organisation
Here is what a supporting organisation does in ESC volunteering, and the specific role CBB takes on in this project:
📣 Promote the project and links between local and international associations
🧭 Support the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival
🗂️ Manage administrative matters such as budget allowances, creation of a bank account, enrollment at the municipality and insurance contracts
📝 Write the activity agreement
🎓 Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organisation by ensuring participation in the National Agency seminars and organising evaluation meetings with the volunteer and the hosting organisation to reflect on learning outcomes
🧳 Handle practical arrangements, including accommodation, health insurance, French lessons, online language tools and more
🤝 Create networking activities with all ESC volunteers of the hosting organisations CBB supports
Three Activities, Nearly 2 Hectares
Volunteers are involved in the three aspects of Accueil Famenne's activities: the shelter, the food bank and the second-hand shop. All these activities take place within the organisation's own facilities, which cover nearly 2 hectares.
The Shelter "L'élan" and Its Vegetable Garden
The hosting venue is a shelter for people experiencing social difficulties and victims of domestic and/or intra-family violence. The service helps people recover and maintain their independence and balance in a more sustainable way.
During their stay, beneficiaries are supported by social workers and educators in various aspects of their lives. The team also offers a range of activities: gardening, sewing, parenting, cooking, art therapy, sports and more. Children make up around 40% of the residents, so some activities are designed specifically for them, such as cooking, crafts, climbing, painting, cinema and bowling, with their own specific objectives.
Your task as a volunteer is to take care of the vegetable garden, which has been restored by previous volunteers. You will be asked to continue the work that has been started:
🥕 Think about which vegetables to plant and how much
🪑 Landscape the site: build pallet benches and a picnic area, create paths, build structures for climbing plants, plant hedges or trees and more
🍇 Sow, plant, maintain and harvest various vegetables, and prune grapevines
🧰 Learn how to use specific tools for these different tasks
You will also help the head chef prepare meals for the residents:
👩🍳 Learn and prepare local recipes
🍳 Learn how to use professional kitchen equipment
The Food Bank
The food aid service provides support to part of the population of Rochefort. The distribution of food parcels is managed by local volunteers twice a week. As a volunteer, you support the food aid volunteers:
🛒 Collecting unsold items: twice a week, local volunteers visit local supermarkets and bakeries to collect unsold items, and you accompany them
📦 Preparing packages: twice a week, local volunteers prepare the packages to be distributed, and you assist them
🚚 Distributing food packages on Tuesday and Friday mornings, if needed
☕ Coffee receptions and awareness workshops: you support these sessions, organised by the service's social worker to build a relationship of trust with beneficiaries
Depending on your wishes, you can also organise cooking workshops for beneficiaries, to introduce them to your culture or to raise awareness of alternative diets.
The Second-Hand Shop "Li Gurnî"
The second-hand shop is run by two employees supported by 14 local volunteers. Li Gurnî operates entirely on donations. People can drop off their items directly at the shop or use a free home pickup service.
Your tasks as a volunteer are to renovate, customize and upcycle second-hand furniture:
🛻 Assist with collecting donated furniture
💭 Do inspiration and design research
🔧 Repair any damage to the furniture
🪵 Sand, strip or air blast
🎨 Customize: decoration, painting, tie-dye, decoupage, replacement of hardware and more, with the possibility of completely repurposing a piece of furniture to make something else
You also help the employees of the shop:
🧺 Help sort donations by item type (clothing, tableware, electronics, decorative items and more)
🗄️ Arrange shelves and work on item presentation
🎉 Provide support during the organisation of special events, such as clothing swaps
🧹 Help with general shop maintenance, including cleaning and tidying up
Developing Your Personal Project
Thanks to its infrastructure and the variety of people involved in its project, Accueil Famenne offers a wide range of learning opportunities for volunteers. The organisation also gives volunteers plenty of scope to set up a personal project which, while in line with the values upheld by the structure, allows them to explore other avenues of learning than those initially planned within the project.
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🌍 All opportunities in Belgium →
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Living in Rochefort
Accueil Famenne is located in Rochefort, in the Belgian province of Namur. It is a small town of around 12 000 inhabitants with an active cultural center, a youth center, a library, a few bars, historical landmarks and some shops.
The closest train station is 5 km away from the town. Buses run every day, though less frequently on Sunday. Rural areas in Belgium are not very well connected, but remain close to the cities. Marche-en-Famenne and Dinant are the closest towns, while bigger cities like Namur, Bastogne and Liège are reachable by bus and train.
The volunteer must appreciate living in a semi-rural area. The project is therefore very suitable for volunteers who are not attracted by a very lively nightlife, but mostly by quiet evenings and outdoor activities during the weekend.
Belgium at a Glance
Squeezed between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, Belgium is one of Europe's tiddlers. The north is flat, the south is dominated by the picturesque Ardennes, and the 65 km North Sea coastline is monopolized by resorts, except for a few patches of windswept dunes. The four seasons are well divided: cold and white winter and warm and sunny summer, but be ready for a grey sky at least half of the year.
The Belgian population is usually warm, and a lot of cultural and free events take place in the streets during the year, which can make your journey in this little country fun and resourceful. This project takes place in the south of the country, which is French speaking, so be ready to learn and speak French!
🍟 Specialities: fries, beers and festivals
📐 Area: 30,518 sq km
👥 Population: 11,420,163
🏛️ Capital: Brussels (population 1,191,604)
🗺️ Regions: Flanders (North), Wallonia (South), Brussels-Capital
🗨️ Communities: Flemish, French and German speaking community
🔤 Languages: Dutch (±59%), French (±37%) and German (±1%)
💶 Currency: Euro
Looking for more placements across Europe? Find more ESC volunteering projects on Youth Works Hub.
Working Hours
Working hours are usually from 08:00 until 16:00 (with one hour lunch break), from Monday to Friday. You are asked to have some flexibility about this. You have an average of 35 hours a week. Weekends are usually free, except in exceptional cases.
Food
You receive a budget and prepare your own meals.
Accommodation
You live in a house shared with other volunteers, with your own private room. There are two volunteers' houses in Rochefort. Depending on which house you live in, you are 250 or 650 meters away from Accueil Famenne.
Free Participation and Pocket Money
Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge, except for an exceptional contribution to travel costs. You therefore receive free board and lodging during the whole activity, as covered in our guide to what a fully funded ESC placement includes. In addition, you receive pocket money for personal expenses throughout the duration of the activity, including holidays.
Insurance
You are covered throughout the activity period by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan (Henner) that the European Commission sets up, as explained in our ESC insurance guide. This coverage is only complementary to the mandatory coverage of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which you must obtain prior to departure.
In certain cases, when national rules deprive participants of coverage under the EHIC for the duration of the placement, Henner provides full coverage. However, you must provide proof that obtaining the EHIC was not possible in your case. You should contact your National Agency for advice on your specific circumstances. You must read the insurance-related information carefully.
French Language Course
You follow an online language course through EU Academy plus French lessons, provided as part of the budget from the Commission. You need to complete a level test before the activity starts.
You are encouraged to join free French lessons given in the municipality or around, if possible. It is recommended that you start practicing French before arriving in Belgium and take part in as many activities as possible to get better at the language.
Who Can Join: The Volunteer Profile
🎂 Aged 18-30 years old
💪 Motivated to join the project
🔍 Sincere interest in the activities
📖 Interested in learning French, for better interaction with the beneficiaries
🧭 Willing to discover and to learn, open minded to try new things
🛠️ Willing to work with your hands in a social setting
💡 Willing to share ideas and creativity
🔒 Sensitive to the privacy and intimacy of the people living in the hosting venue "L'Élan"
📞 Before departure, in contact with a support/sending organisation to receive information and preparation (a directory to find a support organisation in your region is listed in the Links section)
🌐 Project open to everyone, regardless of nationality, religion, beliefs, diploma or professional experience
📄 Able to give a copy of your criminal record before starting the activity
How to Apply
Deadline to apply: no deadline, first come first served.
📝 Answer the questionnaire on the project page (scroll down a bit to see it). You are asked to attach a CV at the end of the form.
🪪 In the frame of the European Solidarity Corps, create a profile on the ESC database ("JOIN THE CORPS"). Our guide to registering on the ESC Portal walks you through it.
🎨 Optional: if you feel creative, you can send additional material related to your application by email (the address is listed in the Links section).
Creating a profile on the ESC portal AND filling in the form (in English or French) is compulsory for your application to be taken into consideration. In the days following your application, the pre-selected volunteers are contacted for a Skype interview.
Please fill out the form without the use of artificial intelligence. Do not be afraid to make mistakes: personal answers are preferred to perfect ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ESC volunteering project at Accueil Famenne?
It is a European Solidarity Corps activity in Rochefort, Belgium, hosted by the non profit organisation Accueil Famenne. Volunteers work across a shelter vegetable garden, a food bank and a second-hand furniture shop.
When does the activity run and what is the deadline?
The activity runs from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2028. There is no deadline: applications are handled on a first come first served basis, so it is best to apply as soon as possible.
Who can apply?
The project is open to everyone aged 18-30, regardless of nationality, religion, beliefs, diploma or professional experience. Volunteers must be motivated, open minded and willing to work with their hands in a social setting.
Do I need to speak French?
No level is stated in the call, but the project takes place in the French speaking south of Belgium. You should be interested in learning French, you complete a level test for the online course before the activity starts, and free French lessons in the municipality are encouraged.
What will I do as a volunteer?
You take care of the shelter vegetable garden and help the head chef prepare meals, support the food bank volunteers, and renovate and upcycle second-hand furniture while helping the shop employees. You can also develop a personal project in line with the organisation's values.
Does it cost anything to take part?
Participation is free of charge, except for an exceptional contribution to travel costs. You receive free board and lodging, a budget to prepare your own meals, and pocket money throughout the activity, including holidays.
Where will I live?
You live in a house shared with other volunteers, with your own private room. There are two volunteers' houses in Rochefort, 250 or 650 meters from Accueil Famenne, depending on the house.
What are the working hours?
Working hours are usually 08:00 to 16:00 with a one hour lunch break, Monday to Friday, for an average of 35 hours a week. Weekends are usually free, except in exceptional cases.
Do I need a profile on the ESC portal?
Yes. Creating a profile on the ESC portal and filling in the application form in English or French are both compulsory for your application to be considered. You also attach a CV at the end of the form.
Do I need a sending organisation?
Before departure you should be in contact with a support or sending organisation to receive information and preparation. A directory to find a support organisation in your region is listed in the Links section.
Do I need to provide a criminal record?
Yes. You must be able to give a copy of your criminal record before starting the activity.
Is the area well connected?
Rochefort is a semi-rural town of around 12 000 inhabitants. The closest train station is 5 km away and buses run every day, less frequently on Sunday. Namur, Bastogne and Liège are reachable by bus and train.
Project Snapshot
📌 Type: ESC Volunteering
📍 Location: Accueil Famenne, Rochefort, Belgium
🗓️ Activity Dates: 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2028
🌍 Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine
🎂 Age: 18-30
Deadline
⏳ As soon as possible!
Links
🔗 Application page and form (Register tab): https://compagnonsbatisseurs.world/activities/long-term/esc-volunteering/accueil-famenne/
🪪 ESC Portal, create your profile: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en
🧭 Find a support organisation in your region: https://europa.eu/youth/volunteering/organisations_en
🌐 CBB website: https://compagnonsbatisseurs.world/
📘 CBB on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compagnonsbatisseurs.asbl/
📸 CBB on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cb.belgium/
✉️ Optional additional material by email: esc@compagnonsbatisseurs.be
