A student in the general engineering program, Baudoin chose to take a gap year to travel with the association Les Enfants du Mékong.
"The whole class supports my project, " smiles Baudoin Trentesaux, who has just completed his second year of general engineering studies at the Metz campus. "I might even inspire some of them to follow in my footsteps!"
A year in Cambodia
It must be said that Baudoin made an unusual choice. He decided to spend a year in Cambodia with the association Les Enfants du Mékong before completing his third year of Creda expertise at the Paris campus. "I need to do something meaningful," he explains . "It makes me happy to lead a useful project. And now is the right time. I don't have any constraints in terms of housing, work, or children. After that, I might be too caught up in my career. "
Baudoin Trentesaux therefore applied in September 2017 to support the association Les Enfants du Mékong: "I will coordinate, in conjunction with local officials, the sponsorship program for 150 children in the northeast of the country, "he explains. "I will visit them by motorbike to bring them letters and donations from their sponsors. I will also run a boarding school where 20 young Cambodians study. Finally, I will develop initiatives and projects on site."
Open your mind to a new culture
It is therefore a rich mission, for which Baudoin is receiving training from the association: "This is all the more essential as I have never set foot in Asia. We are given lessons in Khmer, but the emphasis is above all on the importance of opening our minds to another culture. For example, in Cambodia, a successful day is not one where you have completed your to-do list, but one where you have made a new friend."
Baudoin left on August 1 for Kampong Cham, but you can follow him on the page dedicated to his project. He will be back in August 2019 for his third year as an engineer at Arts et Métiers.
