The Founder of ATD Fourth World

Joseph Wresinski was born to immigrant parents in 1917, in a detainment camp for nationalities considered suspicious during World War I. He grew up living in great poverty and social exclusion. He was ordained as a priest in 1946 and in 1956 he was assigned to be a chaplain to 250 families placed in an emergency housing camp in Noisy-le-Grand, near Paris, France. The families lived in quonset huts erected in a muddy field with just four public spigots providing water for all of them. Joseph Wresinski was opposed to the soup kitchen there, and closed it, stating that “it is not so much food or clothes that these people are in need of, but dignity, and to not have to depend on other people's goodwill”. With the parents, he created a kindergarten, a library, then a chapel, a laundry, a workshop, and a beauty parlour. He and the adults created an association that would become ATD Fourth World. The term “fourth world” echoes the “fourth order” of the French Revolution: those who were considered too poor and uneducated to vote towards a new Constitution. Joseph Wresinski used this term as one that evoked the aspirations of creating a new world order, and that held promise and hope for families living in extreme poverty. He wished «to get [people living in poverty] to appear in public, in the places where future is shaped. He stated that he would get people to climb the steps of the UN, the Elysée and the Vatican.

*source: Wikipedia (i hope to God the article's accurate hahaah)

We were able to meet the man behind ATD through this film.   ATD Fourth World - Philippines held a get-together a few weeks ago to discuss the next events and for the film showing.  We got to meet new people as well.  What a fun day it was.