About Petites-Mains
Our mission
Petites-Mains is a social integration enterprise sensitive to the challenges faced by immigrants, especially women: those who experience exclusion because of their culture and religion, those who are single parents, those with no income or on employment assistance, and many others.
With services that include paid vocational training, free French courses, employment assistance programs and personalized accompaniment, we support strong, proud women with unique backgrounds in their integration projects.
We equip our participants to become financially independent, to support themselves and realize their potential, but above all to carve out a place for themselves in Quebec culture. By socializing with other women in similar situations and acquiring knowledge and professional experience, they can fully integrate and flourish in society!
INCLUSION
ETHICS
SUPPORT
IMPLICATION
Our vision
To improve the living conditions of immigrant women in Quebec so that they can become independent and fully integrated into Quebec society.
Our impact
300
people enroll in francization courses every year.
2000
people benefit annually from the front-line services offered by Petites-Mains.
200
people from a hundred different countries take a training course at Petites-Mains every year.
80%%
and more of the people who complete training at Petites-Mains find lasting employment with one of our partner employers.
30000
people have benefited from Petites-Mains services since 1995.
History
1994
Following the closure of a food bank, Sisters Denise Arsenault and Nahid Aboumansour get a group of women together to brainstorm ways to increase their autonomy.
1995
The two co-founders install a few sewing machines in a room in Cote-des-Neiges, then offer their first sewing class: this is where it all began for Petites-Mains!
1997
Petites-Mains expands its Work Experience (WE) program offering to ensure participants will be even better prepared for life in the workforce.
2000
Petites-Mains is accredited as an Integration Organization and offers a comprehensive industrial sewing course. This cements its three pillars: training, integration, production.
2001
Petites-Mains launches its first French lessons.
2002
As more and more participants come on board, Petites-Mains moves into the fourth floor of their building in Côte-des-Neiges.
2005
Petites-Mains diversifies its service offering by launching a French course and pre-employability program.
2007
Petites-Mains becomes the owner of a three-storey building on Saint-Laurent. The opening of its café/restaurant allows participants to complete kitchen assistant training.
2013
To meet the needs of more marginalized immigrants, Petites-Mains launches their “Everyone belongs in Quebec!” program.
2015
Petites-Mains launches their “Women in the workforce” program for young immigrants who are looking for their first job in Canada.
2017
The Petites-Mains Foundation is created to financially support the continuity and development of its social mission.
2018
Petites-Mains opens a childcare centre, le Royaume des Petites-Mains, to look after participants’ children and encourage other women to start their integration journey.
2020
Petites-Mains celebrates 25 years of service for individuals in need. Today, the organization is a pillar of social integration and a major player in the social economy!
Our annual reports
2022-2023
2021 – 2022
2020 – 2021
