One step at a time : a meaningful journey
From Cambodia to Spain through France : a global connection to PSE
Pierre-Yves’s connection with PSE goes back a long way. In 2013, while working in Cambodia as an engineer, his office was right next to PSE’s center in Phnom Penh. So he started eating regularly at the Lotus Blanc, the training restaurant run by the association’s School of Hospitality.
Four years later, at the age of 48, Pierre-Yves undertook a wide change of life : he quit his job, driven by a deep desire to make a difference.
“I wanted to get involved,” he sums up.
He reached out to PSE again and became a volunteer on the field in Cambodia. Between 2017 and 2023, he took on a series of short-term assignments, working successively as an English teacher, an information systems instructor, and a library assistant... Pierre-Yves gave his time.
Back in the Paris region in France, the call to get involved remains strong. This time, he undertakes fundraising, organizing an awareness-raising event in 2024, before embarking, in the spring of 2026, on his charitable athletic challenge along the Spanish Way of St. James.
When a sporting challenge becomes a catalyst for solidarity
By 2025, Pierre-Yves had already completed his first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It was a revelation. “The day I arrived in Santiago, June 2, 2025, the first thing I thought to myself was: when can I do this again? Ever since I got back, all I have been thinking about is going back” he recalls.
For this second journey—a 1,500-kilometer trek—Pierre-Yves decided to combine the physical effort with a cause close to his heart.
“Why not take the opportunity to raise funds for PSE, tell my friends about it, and try to raise awareness for the association?”
He then set a financial goal based on his effort: initially €1,500, €1 per kilometer, then decided to raise the goal to €3,000. Thanks to his daily posts on Facebook and Instagram, his fundraising page had outpassed the initial €1,500 just a few days before the finish.
You can still support Pierre Yves’s project by making a tax-deductible donation to PSE through his fundraising page!
Walking for a great cause : a bulwark against discouragement
“When you walk for long periods, you’re sore for a week, then all the pain goes away. The body adapts.” explains this avid hiker, who walks between 3,000 and 4,000 km each year.
Mentally, when faced with difficult weather and loneliness, moments of discouragement do arise. That’s precisely where the commitment to solidarity makes a difference. For Pierre-Yves, his commitment to PSE has become a pillar of resilience.
“Setting up the fundraising page pushes me to not giving up, even when I’m fed up. I’m doing this for PSE, for the children. I’ve committed to PSE, so I’m going all the way.”
Would you like to take on a charity sports challenge ?
A half marathon? A bike ride this summer? Your athletic challenge can also support a good cause!
To do so, create your fundraising page in just a few clicks on our website and personalize it by adding photos and stories about your project.
Then mobilize your friends, family, and colleagues to support your charitable effort! 100% of their donations will go to PSE and 66% are tax-deductible.
To those who might be hesitant to launch such an initiative, Pierre-Yves offers reassurance:
“Even if not everyone can donate, the general response is deeply positive and supportive."
