One of the laureates of the Parisculteurs in 2017, a call for projects launched by the Mairie de Paris to green roofs, terraces and virgin land in the capital, Designing Hope was entrusted with the greening of the roof of the kindergarten of the Bercy school in Paris 12 to set up an educational garden for the school’s children.
In 2021, La Traversine will break through the school’s wall and take over a plot of land in the adjoining Villiot Rapée residence to set up an open-ground garden open to the children of the neighbourhood.
In 2022, Designing Hope will also accompany the vegetable garden project in the kindergarten’s “oasis” courtyard for weekly activities with the children during school time, and will organise activities in the vegetable garden located at the back of the elementary school courtyard with the after-school care workers.

[Traversine], a name that symbolizes a gateway towards other cultures, as a North-South “agri-cultural” exchange. 

La Traversine Bercy

Located on the roof of the Bercy school in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, this terrace, although originally intended only to serve as a passage in the event of an evacuation, has now been transformed into an experimental and educational garden. Designing Hope conceived an urban vegetable garden gathering several approaches to sustainable agriculture (agro-ecology, permaculture), which are already implemented by the association with children in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Swaziland, and Senegal.

By using the program “Communicating Classes” chosen by the Bercy school, and the equipment of relay classes in Africa, the activities around La Traversine encourage the exchanges of experiences, and add value to the activities that are carried out in the garden.


    • Composition of the garden

    • The Keyhole. It is a circular raised garden, comprising in its center a compost, whose nutrients are diffused towards the cultures which surround it. Its literal name, “keyhole”, comes from its shape.
    • The Mandala garden. Le Key-hole est entouré de 8 bacs de culture de forme trapézoïdale, formant une fleur inspirée des mandalas, qui constituent un élément central des jardins en permaculture. Il accueille des cultures maraichères de saison.
    • The multi-level fruit garden. An alignment of 11 wooden elements of 2m long each with double levels of culture, host berries, according to the principle growing in layers: double row of strawberries in the foreground, then other berries in second level (raspberries, currants, blackcurrant, blackberries) , and others fruits climbing on ropes stretched at the back (kiwis, grapes).
    • The Pergola. A place to meet with children, surrounded by elements where both perennial (honeysuckle, jasmine, vine yard) and seasonal (squash, pumpkins) species are planted, climbing on ropes to create a shaded space.
    • The Insect shelters. La Traversine is now home to 3 insect shelters: 1 located on the terrace, one in the nursery school’s courtyard, and on in the elementary school’s courtyard.
      They have the shape of a wooden structure gathering several rooms which were made using natural or salvaged materials.

    Animations program

    By using the program “Communicating Classes” chosen by the Bercy school, and the equipment of relay classes in Africa, the activities around La Traversine encourage the exchanges of experiences, and add value to the activities that are carried out in the garden.

    Playful activities for children, organized in small groups during the extracurricular time in collaboration with the educational team, echoe with those carried out in the schools that are located in the other countries.
    We approach various themes: the soil, the seed, the cycle of life of a plant, the compost, the auxiliary insects, the methods of culture.

    We raise the children’s awareness of the valorization of the school’s resources for the fertilization of the garden (the composting of leaves, branches from the courtyard’s trees and food waste from the canteen).
    Finally, we encourage them to try some plantations at home, if they have a balcony, or if they have access to a garden somewhere with a family member, encouraging them to recycle, compost, and giving them seeds or plants, as we do in Africa.

    In September 2020, after “taking flight” on the rooftops of Bercy, Designing Hope “roots” its presence and installs a new garden, Traversine #2, in the ground this time, in the back yard of the elementary school.
    A garden of proximity, animated each week by a team of activity leaders who work for the association.

    A pedagogical treasure hunt has been set up by the association to animate this garden every week.

    In September 2020, after having taken flight on the roofs of Bercy, Designing Hope was obliged to temporarily move the garden to the ground floor, at the back of the elementary school yard, in order to allow the roof of the building to be waterproofed.
    This presence in the courtyard has strengthened the links between the after-school team and the Designing Hope association’s civic services team.
    A treasure hunt has been designed by the association to animate this garden.
    The return to the roof is planned for 2023.

    Ce projet a été construit avec le soutien de :


    La Traversine Villiot

    In 2021, Designing Hope has been entrusted by Paris Habitat with the management for 4 years of the development and the animations of a green space of 300 m2 located in the heart of the Villiot-Rapée residence.

    The objective is to make it a place of life and discovery of biodiversity and nature for the children of the residence, but also occasionally for young visitors from the neighborhood. Children from the Paris Amin’ Center in the neighbourhood, from the Bercy nursery and elementary schools, and from the neighborhood daycare center are welcomed to participate in nature-related discovery activities (land art, mime, outdoor theater) and to help maintain the garden.

    A Mandala, a vegetable garden designed in the shape of a flower, evolves with the seasons and the contributions of the children. A vegetated teepee is a playful space for children. Growing trays, decorated with metal supports to encourage vertical cultivation, are placed in the sunniest part of the garden.

    This project was set up with the support of:

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    (Fundraising on Hello Asso)

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    • Discover bellow the last posts of the Traversine Gardens!

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    Redevelopment of the Traversine on the roof of the Bercy nursery school

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    After three years of work, the roof of the kindergarten is once again available to the Designing Hope association. The installation of the Traversine garden in its new configuration began with the re-installation of the little house-shaped greenhouses, so popular … Read More

    Sowing seeds with the Paris Anim’ centre (CLAJE)

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    This Wednesday afternoon, the children from the Paris Anim centre (CLAJE) came to the Traversine de Villiot garden for a sowing activity. We provided them with mini greenhouses, composed of a equipped with a water reserve, a seedling tray and … Read More

    Inauguration of the Christmas Tipi of the Villiot garden

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    The tipi in the Traversine Villiot garden was decked out with plant decorations made by children from the Bercy school, nursery school, creche and Paris Anim centre. Mrs Emanuelle Pierre-Marie, Mayor of the 12th arrondissement, came to inaugurate our Christmas … Read More

    Making ivy garlands for the Christmas teepee.

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    During the summer, the tipi in the Villiot garden is covered with climbing beans and squash. With no vegetation left over the winter, we decided to bring it back to life by transforming it into a Christmas tree! We organised … Read More

    Painting bread apples for the “Christmas Tipi” of Villiot Garden

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    Designing Hope has mobilised all the children who benefit from the Villiot garden to transform the potager’s tepee into a Christmas tree. This morning, 8 children from the Villiot crèche contributed to the project by decorating bread apples with red … Read More

    Sowing broad beans in the traversine Villiot garden

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    Broad beans are one of the few crops that have to be sown in late autumn.Their large seeds are easy for the children to plant, and in a few days they will be able to see the shoots emerge…Another advantage … Read More

    Installation of a keyhole of the Traversine Villiot garden

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    Keyhole of the Traversine Villiot gardenThe Traversine Villiot garden now has a new feature: a keyhole garden.It features a central composter, whose decomposing elements will feed the circular growing tray that surrounds it.This is a new educational space for the … Read More

    The trellis of the Traversine Villiot garden

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    The trellis at Traversine Villiot is now entirely covered with mulberry trees! Maintained in this way, they are developing rapidly, with stems reaching up to 4 metres! Enough to provide a shady passageway that is beginning to fill with fruit … Read More

    Collection of educational games

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    Dessine l’Espoir has developed a collection of educational games about gardening and the environment. To make them easier to handle, the association has asked the women of Eswatini to make the bags, hand-embroidered with the name of the games and … Read More

    The TIPI in the Traversine Villiot garden

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    The climbing beans sown last April on the Traversine Villiot tipi have reached the top in just a few months!The first flowers are starting to turn into beans! This species (from Agrosemens seed) produces purple vegetables that turn green when … Read More

    Games with the nursery school children at La Traversine

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    During their visit to the vegetable garden, the children from the Bercy nursery school split into two groups. While one group looked after the garden, the other played board games created by the association around fruit and vegetables.

    Planting of strawberry plants in the garden of the Traversine Bercy, Paris

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    This Friday, the children of the elementary school of Bercy planted strawberry plants on the vertical wall of the garden of the Traversine of Bercy. They particularly enjoyed this activity which signs the return of spring!

    Vermicomposting workshop with the children of the primary schools and the kindergarten of Bercy, Paris

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    Designing Hope and the kindergarten of Bercy received  from the City hall of Paris 2 vermicomposters with the compost worms. We installed a worm bin with the children of the Bercy primary schools and another worm bin with the children … Read More

    Bridging snack with the children of the Bercy kindergarten and the Villiot crèche in the Jardin de la Traversine-Villiot, Paris

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    The children of the nursery school of Bercy and the crèche of Villiot met in the garden of Traversine-Villiot. They composted their vegetable waste (mainly peelings) and visited the garden together. Then, in the kiosk around the clover tables, the … Read More

    Drawing workshop of garden with the children of the elementary school of Bercy, Paris

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    Today, we asked the children of the Bercy primary schools to draw the vegetable garden of their dreams!  They were able to organise their imaginary garden as they wished, by placing fruits, vegetables, animals, insects, compost, ponds…While waiting for spring..

    The children of the Villiot collective crèche compost their vegetable waste and water the Traversine-Villiot garden, Paris

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    Every Wednesday and Friday morning, the children of the Villiot collective crèche spend an hour in the Traversine-Villiot garden. The children come with some vegetable waste from the nursery kitchen and put it in our compost. Even though the plants … Read More

    Harvesting topinamburs from the Traversine-Villiot garden, Paris

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    With the children of the center Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), we collected the topinamburs (or Jerusalem artichokes) of the garden of Traversine-Villiot. They were each able to leave with a bag of several topinamburs that they had collected themselves. We prepared … Read More

    Collecting leaves from the Jardin de la Traversine-Bercy, Paris, with the children of the Bercy elementary schools

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    To mark the end of autumn and to brighten up the garden, the children of the elementary schools of Bercy helped the team of Dessine l’Espoir to collect the leaves of the garden of Traversine-Bercy in Paris.  They put them … Read More

    Pine cones decoration workshop with the children of CLAJE

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    The children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE) decorated pine cones for the end-of-the-year celebrations. They glued pompoms and stars on them, wrapped the pine cones with thread on which they threaded beads and painted the ends of the … Read More

    Winter digital painting workshop with the children of the Bercy primary schools, Paris

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    The children of the elementary school of Bercy made a card to wish a good Christmas to their close relations. They wrote on it, drew with felt pens, cut out and glued paper and stickers. Above all, after tracing their … Read More

    Playful discovery of insects with the children of the Bercy nursery school, Paris

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    The children of the nursery school of Bercy in Paris were able to discover the various insects in the garden through colouring boards realised by the association.  The children coloured in bees, ladybirds, butterflies, ants, earwigs, woodlice and grasshoppers: all … Read More

    Playful discovery of insects with the children of the elementary school of Bercy, Paris

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    The children of the elementary school of Bercy in Paris were able to discover the various insects in the garden through colouring boards realised by the association.  The insects were classified according to their role in a garden, namely pollinators, … Read More

    Workshop on the installation of the insect hotel with the children of the CLAJE in the garden of Traversine-Villiot, Paris

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    With the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), the team of Dessine l’Espoir finalised the installation of the insect hotel in the garden of Traversine-Villiot.  We installed pieces of broken bricks for the staphylinid, pine cones for the … Read More

    Autumn painting activity with the children of the Bercy primary schools, Paris

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    We organised a painting activity using our stencils representing all kinds of leaves, fruits and vegetables. They were also able to use dried leaves to create various patterns. The children made many colourful paintings to take home!

    Planting of tulip bulbs at the Traversine Villiot with the children of the nursery of Villiot, Paris

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    With the children of the nursery of Villiot, we planted bulbs of tulip all around the kiosk of the garden of the Traversine Villiot. The children put the bulb in each hole and then covered it with soil before watering … Read More

    Workshop creation of vegetable mobiles with the children of the CLAJE

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    With the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE), the team of Dessine l’Espoir organized a workshop creation of mobiles with natural elements.  On straight tree branches, the children hung woolen threads on which they suspended several vegetal elements: … Read More

    A meal with the vegetables of the shared vegetable garden at the Traversine Villiot garden with all our partners, Paris

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    The harvest of vegetables realized at the beginning of November in the garden allowed us to organize a meal in the garden of the residence Villiot-Râpée, in the presence of all the actors who interact regularly with the garden. The … Read More

    Seed sowing workshop with the children of the Bercy nursery school, Paris

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    Even in November, it is still time to sow some seeds… and it is what the children of the nursery school of Bercy did!  Hoping that the first sprouts will survive the cold winter, the children sowed yellow turnips, lettuce, … Read More

    Vegetable harvest from the Traversine-Villiot garden, Paris, for the benefit of its beneficiaries

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    We made a harvest before the winter of the vegetables of the garden of Traversine-Villiot : leeks, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, spinach, celery, onions, beets, tomatoes.  In order to share our vegetables with the people in the garden, we are organizing … Read More

    Halloween modeling workshop with Double Face at the Traversine Villiot, Paris

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    To celebrate Halloween, Dessine l’Espoir joined Double Face to allow the children of the residence Villiot Râpée to realize frightening heads of monsters. After a day spent modeling clay under the guidance of Zoé from Double Face, the children painted … Read More

    Transplanting spinach to the garden of la Traversine Bercy, Paris

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    The children of the primary schools of Bercy helped us to transplant in the playground’s garden the spinach which proliferated in the Garden of the Traversine-Villiot.  After digging holes in the enriched soil trays, the children planted the spinach plants … Read More

    Enriching the planters at the Bercy nursery school, Paris

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    The team of the Traversine garden takes care now of four culture trays in the playground of the nursery school.  Before planting fruit, vegetables and other plants with the kindergarten children, we enriched and aerated the soil in the containers. … Read More

    The reproduction of the cauliflower in the garden of the Traversine Villiot, Paris

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    In the garden of the Traversine Villiot, our cauliflower, after having formed a compact vegetable, continued its growth. To the astonishment of the children, it has grown new stems. This is what we call the process of going to seed … Read More

    Landart and plant weaving activities with the children of the CLAJE and the primary schools of Bercy

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    This Wednesday afternoon, the team of Designing Hope organized 2 creative animations in the garden of the Traversine Villiot, one with the children welcomed by the Centre Paris Anim’ (CLAJE) and the other with the children of the primary schools … Read More

    Rehabilitation of the cultivation trays at la Traversine Bercy, Paris

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    It is autumn, it is time to enrich and to refill the tubs of the mandala and the Keyhole of the garden of the Traversine Bercy in order to prepare the tubs to welcome new cultures. The bins have been … Read More

    The Residence Villiot Festival, Paris

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    On Saturday, September 24th, 2022, we took part in the Festival of the Residence Villiot. We welcomed children and adults of the Residence Villiot in the shared garden of the residence. The children were able to enjoy the board games … Read More

    Installation of the game tables in the kiosk of the Traversine Villiot, Paris

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    Games tables forming a four-leaf clover were installed in the Traversine Villiot. These tables are used to organise educational pedagogical activities with children from the Bercy school, the Claje (Paris Anim) and the local nursery. The four tables can be … Read More

    Vertical culture in a teepee, a playful and practical tool at the Jardin de la Traversine Villiot, Paris

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    Our association made and installed a teepee in bamboo in the garden of the Traversine Villiot. It allows us to optimize the surface by using the principle of vertical culture. Squash, cucumbers and tomatoes grow around the tepee and climb … Read More

    First crops and teepee in the Villiot garden, Paris

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    The first spring crops are there in the Villiot garden! Mulberry trees were planted in the first two containers and seedlings of radishes and carrots were made in the containers transformed into a greenhouse. We also planted mint seedlings on … Read More

    Onion and oca planting with the children of the nursery in the garden of Villiot, Paris

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    The children from the nursery were introduced to gardening at the Villiot garden by planting onion and oca bulbs on the earth beds that form the mandala. In the holes dug with their little shovels, they put potting soil to … Read More

    Colorful mural in the Bercy Traversine garden, Paris

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    The children of the Bercy primary school realized a coloured mural with the help of stencils. On a large piece of cardboard, they let their imagination run wild: they painted leaves and flowers in different colors and signed their masterpieces. … Read More

    Replanting of ground cover in the garden of Villiot

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    In order to facilitate the maintenance of the garden and to limit to the maximum the return of the weeds, we applied the technique of the vegetable ground cover to the garden of Villiot. Along the path surrounding the circular … Read More

    Installation of the insect hôtel of the Traversine Villiot

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    The team of Designing Hope finalized the insect hotel at Traversine Villiot’s garden with the youngsters of the association Jeunesse Feu-Vert. First of all, a wire mesh was stapled to the back of the structure to prevent the various components … Read More

    Mandala preparation at Villiot garden, Paris.

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    The development of the Villiot garden continues with the design of the mandala, a set of cultivation plots in the shape of flower petals. A cardboard template is used to trace the petals so that they are all equal. The … Read More

    “Nature en Villes”, Petits Princes school

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    Until November 20th in the garden Martha Desrumaux (Paris 12th), Dessine l’Espoir presents the exhibition “Nature en Villes”, cultural bridge between the French and Senegalese young people. Here, discover the photographs of children from the Petits Princes school in Rufisque, … Read More

    “Nature en Villes”, Bercy school

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    Until November 20th in the garden Martha Desrumaux (Paris 12th), Dessine l’Espoir presents the exhibition “Nature en Villes”, cultural bridge between the French and Senegalese young people. Here, discover the photographs of children from the Bercy school in Paris.

    Wooden flowers to decorate the Traversine Bercy garden

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    Before Thebe Magugu’s “Lucky Charms” exhibition at Le Bon Marché, wooden flowers had been painted by the students of the Bercy nursery school. The children were able to express their creativity by making a stencil work with multicolored paints! Once … Read More

    Future set-in-nature theatre is underway at the Traversine Villiot garden

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    The Traversine garden will soon host a mini set-in-nature theatre ! First step: cutting out and colouring the paper templates that will bring to life all the stories that the children made up. Fairies, boares, feathers, pumpkin houses, she-warriors… that … Read More

    Diversity, a message carried by the children of the Bercy school

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    Last week, children from the Bercy school gathered at the Traversine Villiot to proudly hold up the letters of the word “Diversity” topped with flowers, replicas of the “Porte-Bonheurs” (Lucky charms) designed by Thebe Magugu, that they decorated by themselves. 

    Composting activity with the students of the Bercy nursery school

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    Peels, dead leaves, more peels and more dead leaves… One layer after another, our compost is built like a lasagna dish. The children were delighted to get their hands dirty to make it !

    Construction of the children’s theatre at the Traversine Villiot garden

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    Now that the mound is in shape, it is time to set up the nature theatre. This 4.5 metre-diameter metal structure will be entirely vegetated with woven willow and honeyhsuckle. The metal structure has been designed in such a way … Read More

    Weeding work is over at the Traversine Villiot garden

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    Throughout the summer, we worked the soil within a depth of more than 30cm to remove all the roots of couch grass, nettles and brambles, as well as the stones that got in our way when loosening the soil. The … Read More

    Landscaping of the mound in the Traversine Villiot garden.

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    Now that the whole plot has been carefully weeded, it is time to redesign the garden. First step: work on the mound. On the street side, the garden forms a mound that we decided to preserve and harmonise to create … Read More

    A new Traversine garden in the 12th arrondissement of Paris

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    On 5 July 2021, Designing Hope signed an agreement with Paris Habitat to take charge of the development of a garden in the Villiot-Rapée residence. This new garden is named Traversine Villiot and is a logical complement to the first … Read More

    Pedagogical tools at the Traversine garden

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    During the Mayor of the 12th arrondissement’s of Paris visit to the Traversine garden, we displayed the pedagogical tools which were conceptualized by Dessine l’Espoir, such as the nutrition games. The children of the Bercy school had the opportunity to … Read More

    A mural in the Traversine Villiot garden

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    To go along with the arrival of our educational garden in Villiot, Paris Habitat commissioned the artist Pascal Schulz, accompanied by two young people from the Jeunesse Feu Vert foundation working in an educational project, to create a mural. Until … Read More

    Glasshouse sowing at the Traversine

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    The preparation of the seedlings in the small glasshouses has been the opportunity to try out a new grid pattern, removable and reusable, which is more sustainable than the one-use only sowing trays. The tomatoes and the bell peppers are … Read More

    Track game around the garden and initiation to bird calls at the Traversine garden

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    The children of the Bercy schools have taken part in a treasure hunt in the Traversine garden. During the journey, they discovered different parts of the garden: the mandala, the pergola’s herbs, the insect houses and even the vegetal teepee. … Read More

    Vegetal portraits at the Traversine garden, Bercy, France

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    One of the Traversine garden’s itinerary steps consists in inviting the children to create vegetal portraits.  Glass frames are at their disposal, on which they draw, by transparency, vegetal decorations on their friends’ faces. These artworks are inspired by artist … Read More

    Plantation of Peruvian oca at La Traversine garden

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    With the arrival of Spring, it is possible to sow and plant more and more crops at the Traversine. This year, for example, we wanted to introduce the children to a new vegetable, the Peruvian oca! It is a pinkish-red … Read More

    Launching of “tracking game” at la Traversine garden

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    This week at the Traversine, the treasure hunt was happily inaugurated by the children. For about 1 hour, they  were able to discover the garden and its components (mandala, keyhole, wall, pergola of herbs etc. …) through a fun and … Read More

    Learn how to sort the garbage

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    In order for the elementary school children to go home with the right gestures and to better understand the principle of composting in the garden, we organized a waste sorting activity. Through the game of selective sorting, the youngsters were … Read More

    Our memory game, olfactory version!

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    The children took advantage of their visit to the garden this afternoon to inaugurate our herb game! This is a Memory game, but the cards to be turned over are replaced by small boxes to be opened. Each one has … Read More

    Welcome to the Tipi !

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    The Tipi is a traditional North American Indian habitat. It is composed of long wooden poles leaning on each other and covered with animal skins. At the Traversine, the Tipi is being revegetated: we have replaced the animal skins with … Read More

    Discovery of the insect hotel

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    The insect hotel contains several compartments that correspond to “rooms”. Each of them hosts a specific family of insects, depending on the materials used: pine cones and moss for the ladybugs, piles of bark for the sowbugs, stumps and dead leaves for … Read More

    No waste at La Traversine, everything is transformed !

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    After collecting spoiled vegetables from the neighborhood organic grocery store, the children poured them into the central compost bin of the keyhole. We also added a bucket of dead leaves collected in the yard that we mixed with the vegetables. … Read More

    Spin the wheels !

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    With a bread apple on their shoulder and a bark on their head, the children were able to play the new Traversine agility game. The goal of the game?  To make the two wheels in the garden turn. The “object” … Read More

    Autumn harvest at la Traversine

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    Autumn is here! Mirana presents her harvest of the last vegetables of summer, displayed on the hopscotch in the schoolyard of Bercy School: cherry tomatoes, squash, courgette, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, potatoes…  

    Construction of bird boxes

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    In order to welcome even more birds in the garden, new nesting boxes had to be built. So the children got involved: one nail here, another there and here are two brand new houses for our friends the birds! Our … Read More

    Filling of the containers

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    At La Traversine, new bins have been made to accommodate new plants in the educational garden! To do this, we start by putting a layer of clay balls at the bottom of the galvanized metal tub that we have custom … Read More

    Strawberries in preparation on the Traversine Garden

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    First flowers on the strawberry plants of the Traversine ! While waiting for the fruits, we are content with the colored fruits of the panels painted in Burkina Faso by Solstène, painter of the Laafi Village in Koudougou.    

    Vegetal paint workshop

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    In the Grande Section class of Bercy, we did an activity on vegetable painting. We first presented the different vegetables, such as the red cabbage that we used to make different colors of paint. Then we carried out the various … Read More

    Preparation of greenhouse seedlings

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    Spring is approaching … It’s time to make the first sowing in the greenhouses of La Traversine garden. As part of extracurricular activities, the children of Bercy primary school were invited to participate in this sowing activity in the mini … Read More

    Making a mini-compost

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    During school time activities, we decided to make a mini-composter with the children of Bercy School. For the production of our mini-compost, we needed different materials. We used as a container half of a plastic bottle. Then for the filling … Read More

    The Bercy scarecrow

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    During an afternoon in extracurricular time, the children of Bercy school went to the UMCEBO gallery and were able to discover an exhibition organized by the association Desining Hope. This exposition has been realized to the benefit of Desining Hope’s … Read More

    Land Art Workshop

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    During a school time activity at the Bercy school, we carried out a Land art workshop with children from the middle section.   Upstream, the children went to collect leaves and branches in Bercy Park. We did the activity in … Read More

    Harvest of saffron at La Traversine

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    In one night, the Safran crocuses came out of the ground! A small harvest, only the orange pistil can be used to make the precious spice …

    Photo workshop with Alex Perret

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    For the third time, La Traversine associates the children of the Bercy school to the exhibitions of  Umcebo Gallery, also located in the 12th district of Paris. The afternoon started at the Gallery, with a group of children on extracurricular … Read More

    Strawberry jam

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    We collected our first kilos of strawberries on the garden of Traversine.the sunshine of the terrace has been beneficial! they were sweet and fragrant!Enough to make our first jams, labeled “jams of Paris” …

    The mini-greenhouses

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    The mini-greenhouses of Traversine play an important role in the preparation of seedlings for the garden. The ideal sunshine of the terrace guarantees a fast growth !

    Virtuous circle of waste

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    Thanks to Biocoop Aligre, for this virtuous circle of waste, source of life in our garden of Traversine …

    The compost of the Keyhole

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    Today, we give food to Keyhole…

    Citizen Day

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    For the second time this year, Dessine l’Espoir welcomed volunteers from L’Oreal on La Traversine Garden as part of the “Citizen Days” event. Production of culture tanks, sowing in greenhouses, plantations, jam preparation, they took part in small groups to … Read More

    A garden powered by the neighborhood

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    All those unmarketable vegetables that are starting to rot will delight the earthworms of the garden…

    Winter crops in mini greenhouses

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    While waiting for the sowing of spring, we were able to harvest in the 4 mini greenhouses of La Traversine Garden an impressive quantity of greens !

    The secret of a good compost

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    Leaves from the schoolyard + peelings and decomposed vegetables = Nitrogenous matter + carbonaceous matter … The secret of a good compost, 100% local

    Mint planting with children

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    A kindergarten teacher organized an activity in the classroom with peppermint plants harvested from the Traversine garden. She asked each child in her class to bring a broken object, an unusable shoe that they made into a support for the … Read More

    Inauguration of the Traversine

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    On April 29, 2019, the garden of la Traversine was inaugurated by Pénélope Komitès, Deputy Mayor of Paris, responsible for green spaces, nature in the city, biodiversity, urban agriculture and funeral affairs, and by Mrs. Catherine Baratti-Elbaz, Mayor of the … Read More

    Children’s visit

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    Before being converted into a garden, the roof terrace of the school of Bercy had for only use to be a passage of evacuation for classrooms. This crossing path remains, in the middle of the garden, and thus inspired the … Read More

    Strawberry flowers turn into fruit

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    Strawberry flowers turn into fruit… Soon the tasting!

    La Traversine From the sky!

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    The garden of La Traversine seen from the sky! On this 300m2 terrace on the roof of the Bercy nursery school, Designing Hope has set up an educational garden as part of the Parisculteurs project. This film offers a great … Read More

    Summer vegetables at the Traversine

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    The garden of Traversine in Paris benefited from an exceptional sunshine. This first year of cultivation was a successful test for several crops: very prolific climbing beans, tomatoes, squash, salad, corn …

    La Traversine, summer 2018

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    In this short video, you will see the evolution of la Traversine, pedagogical garden created by Designing Hope on the roof of the Bercy preschool. This virtual tour goes shows the culture modules and the variety of plants growing on the … Read More

    frieze, tin cans and flowerpots

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    This is the last step of the tin cans decoration workshop! After designinig black and white friezes inspired from traditional patterns from several African countries, after having them colored by the children of Bercy, we printed them on a water-resistant … Read More

    Summer fruits and vegetables

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    Le jardin de la Traversine bénéficie d’un ensoleillement assez exceptionnel sur le toit de l’Ecole de Bercy. Cela se ressent sur la précocité des récoltes, le goût des légumes, (les fruits sont gorgés de sucre) et le rendement assez étonnant … Read More

    La Traversine – Paris newsletter

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    La Traversine garden is presented in the journal of the 12th district of Paris, highlighting this summer the urban greening policy implemented in the district. Access the full article here

    L’Oreal Citizen Day at La Traversine

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    Designing Hope has received the support of a team of 18 L’Oréal employees for the Citizen Day. A day dedicated to the maintenance of the garden, and animation of workshops with the preschool and elementary children from bercy school.

    recycling cans from the canteen

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    The cans of the canteen were collected and painted in dark green. Filled up to 10cm of clay balls, at which level a hole was also drilled to form an overflow, they were filled with soil and biochar, and use … Read More

    A pedagogical composter

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    At La Traversine, a demonstration compost bin was designed to show children the evolution of the decomposition process. We fill the tank by the left, mixing leftovers, peelings (nitrogenous matter) with the dead leaves recovered from the courtyard. Then, when … Read More

    Fruit trees in bloom on the Traversine roof garden…

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    In its 13 plots inspired by the agroforestry staged culture, spring is in full effervescence: Level Zero … The strawberries in bloom start to form their first red fruits, Level 1 … Blackcurrants, currants, mulberries, raspberries, are covered with flowers … Read More

    The Laafi suitcase

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    The children from Bercy preschool made a decorated cardboard suitcase containing drawings, photos of their school, their garden, and their neighborhood, for the children of Laafi’s preschool. The suitcase was given to the association by Laetitia, responsible for extracurricular activities … Read More

    Local flora drawings sent to Paris

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    Dans le cadre des échanges entre les enfants s’occupant de jardins pédagogiques dans leur école et réunis autour du blog “Transjardins”, les enfants de l’école Hlohlo AME du Swaziland, ont envoyé aux enfants de l’école de Bercy (Paris), des dessins … Read More

    The children of Roosboom are preparing a package for the children of Bercy school

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    Like every afternoon, the children of Roosboom’s Half Way House come together for creative activities, sports, and garden maintenance before their meal is served. This afternoon, the children just receive a large envelopped with pictures and drawings made by the … Read More

    Insect shelter

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    The insect shelter aims at attracting beneficial insects to the garden. La Traversine now has 3 insect shelters: 1 on the terrace, one in the preschool court yard, and one in the elementary courtyard. EnregistrerEnregistrer

    Seed painting for Paris

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    The children of the Hlohlo AME school in Swaziland have prepared an original gift for the children of Bercy school (Paris). They picked up pods from their school’s garden big flamboyant tree and decorated them with paint. Kids from Paris will … Read More

    Collages at the Laafi center

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    The children of Koudougou decorated tree leaves drawings by sticking metallic and colored stickers on them. These drawings will join the suitcase offered by the children of Koudougou to the children of the school of Bercy as part of the … Read More

    The Transgarden memory game at Saint Paul School

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    s part of the project Classes Communicantes, a memory game was made by craftsmen in Burkina Faso. This game has been duplicated and sent to the different centers for which Transjardins has developed educational gardens. This memory, on the theme … Read More

    The south african “suitcase”

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    The children of the center Siletithemba centre in Roosebom, received an envelope from the children of Bercy school in Paris. with a lot of curiosity and excitement, the young people opened the pack addressed to them and discovered letters and … Read More

    The Lesotho “suitcase”

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    The children of St Paul’s School for Deaf were gathered for a surprise straight from France: a large envelope containing photos and letters from the children of Bercy school (Paris). Thanks to the sign language translation made by their teacher, … Read More

    The Swazi “suitcase”

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    The children of the “Hlohlo AME” school of Swaziland, received a big envelope from the children of Bercy school (Paris)! For this occasion, they were gathered by the director to open this envelope containing letters and photos of their Paris … Read More

    The burkinabe “suitcase”

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    Transjardins brings together several educational gardens in France and Africa. in that context, exchanges have been put in place between projects, that share educational materials, animations, common educational games, on the theme of garden and nature, preservation of environment, and … Read More

    The greenhouses of the Traversine

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    The greenhouses are ready for the winter … It only needed the plexi panels to protect them from the cold

    Autumn transplant at la Traversine

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    This is the ideal season to transplant, especially fruit trees.   The garden of Traversine is turning green, with plantations of mulberry, raspberry, strawberry, but also honeysuckle and wisteria ready to cover the metal structures of pergolas next spring.  

    La Traversine – First plants

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    The beginning of 2017 saw the first seedlings and plants on the garden of the Traversine … The season is certainly not the best for seedlings, but we still have sown cabbages and leeks in mini the greenhouses, and lettuces … Read More

    La Traversine – Filling of the trays

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    The construction of the beds is finished, they must now be filled! The first step is to cover the inside of the beds with a waterproof plastic sheet. For this, we used the bags of potted soil, recycling what could … Read More

    La Traversine – Installation on the terrace

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    After several months of preparation (manufacture of metal structures, cutting of the wood), we took advantage of the summer closure of the school to install the elements on the terrace. Below are some visuals showing the steps of this installation … Read More

    La Traversine, a pedagogical garden on the roof of a Parisian school

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    La Traversine is one of the 34 projects selected by the City of Paris as part of the “Parisculteurs” project to create a garden on a Parisian roof. Designing Hope has conseived La Traversine as a paired project to existing educational gardens in Africa.