The CMA CGM Foundation supports the restoration of the Fort d’Entrecasteaux in Marseille and the training of 90 people in heritage building conservation

Tanya Saadé Zeenny, Chair of the CMA CGM Foundation, Jean-Marc Borello, Chairman and founder of Groupe SOS, and Pâquerette Demotes-Mainard, Chief Executive Officer of ACTA VISTA and La Citadelle, visited the Fort d’Entrecasteaux restoration project earlier today to mark the signing of a partnership agreement between the CMA CGM Foundation and non-profit organizations ACTA VISTA and La Citadelle de Marseille.

Enabling 90 people to obtain qualifications in heritage building conservation

Convinced of the significant impact of the project run by ACTA VISTA and La Citadelle de Marseille, the CMA CGM Foundation is lending its support to 90 people in precarious situations, who will benefit from guidance and a year-long training course in heritage building conservation. At the end of the training course, participants will be offered the opportunity to take a professional mason's qualification (“titre de maçon du bâti ancien”). This is the largest integration project based in heritage building conservation ever implemented in France.

An important partnership with two local non-profit organizations

Through this new partnership, the CMA CGM Foundation is pursuing its commitment to improving access to employment in Marseille. It is also working alongside local organizations to restore the region’s heritage and make culture accessible to all.

Created in 2002, ACTA VISTA, a member of Groupe SOS, aims to develop training and professional integration in the field of heritage building restoration, with the primary goal of getting people in vulnerable situations back to work.

Created in 2019, La Citadelle de Marseille, another member of Groupe SOS, oversees the management of Fort d’Entrecasteaux. It coordinates the site’s restoration and will run all the cultural, social, and economic activities that will be held there.

A major contribution to the restoration of Fort d’Entrecasteaux, one of Marseille’s iconic heritage sites

Fort d’Entrecasteaux is a listed 17th-century historical monument overlooking Marseille’s old port, that has been closed to the public for centuries. The first restoration projects were launched in 2003 and delegated to ACTA VISTA, enabling the training of up to 400 local jobseekers each year. The site will gradually be opened to the public, starting with the restoration and design of the gardens, the building of a food and beverage outlet and belvedere overlooking the Old Port, the opening of guided tours, the organization of large-scale artistic and cultural projects, and the development of a historical interpretation center in the Haut-Fort.