A few months after their wedding, Clara and Pierre decided to go to Vietnam. Married in September 2025, this young couple in their thirties are preparing to volunteer with the Assumption at the Assumptionist orphanage in Hoa-Hue, Saigon, Vietnam.
A founding choice after marriage
Aged 30 and 31, Clara and Pierre work in renewable energies and engineering respectively. Their daily lives are rooted in France, but they decided to put them on hold to “mark the occasion” after their wedding.
“Taking this time right after the wedding was an obvious choice,” they confide.
While the couple were open to moving anywhere in the world, their path naturally led them to Asia. While preparing for their wedding in their parish in Montpellier, Clara and Pierre met the local Assumptionist community. Exchanges multiplied, ideas matured, and little by little, Vietnam became an obvious choice.
To make this project a reality, they are supported by the association Mariés Sans Frontières, which supports couples wishing to carry out a volunteer mission abroad after their union, combining travel with a commitment to solidarity.
At the heart of daily life at the orphanage
For two months from December 31, 2025, Clara and Pierre will be working with the children at the orphanage. Their mission is above all one of daily life: sharing meals, playing games, accompanying the children in their routine, taking part in the “family life” specific to the orphanage. The couple will also contribute their skills through animation or any other useful activity as required.
Like any departure into the unknown, this mission gives rise to a few apprehensions. Clara in particular confides her fear of “feeling useless”. But these apprehensions don’t dampen their determination!
Clara and Pierre have a message for anyone still hesitating to take the plunge: “As time goes by, doors open. Connections are made, and so are contacts. When a door opens, you have to go for it.”
After two months in the heart of the orphanage, Clara and Pierre will not be returning to France immediately. The couple will continue their adventure, backpack on their shoulders, in Vietnam and perhaps as far as Indonesia. This is the beginning of a human and spiritual adventure that will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on their life as a couple.
At the age of 26 and with a Master’s degree in project management in the social economy, Augustin left for a year’s voluntary work in Manila, Philippines. There, he joined the Kaloob association, to work with the most destitute populations and victims of social injustice, as part of a mission supported by the Assumptionists and the DCC.
On site, Augustin will help organize and manage the association’s various projects. He will be involved in communication, fund-raising and supporting local partners, from project design to implementation.
Augustin: off to the Philippines for a year