a soothing house treats eating disorders

Driven by curiosity, Martine began attending La Maison Appeasinge in December 2025, at the time when this branch of the Ikambere association had just set up on rue Gambetta, in Lille (North). At 64, this dynamic resident of the neighborhood, a retired cleaning lady, has suffered from hypertension for a long time.

Martine is pursuing a goal here: to lose 15 kg within a few months. She currently weighs 115: “I know it’s not going to be easy… But with my osteoarthritis and my knee problems, it would be better for me. »

Supervised by a dietician, she learned to change her eating habits, eat when she was hungry and balance her meals: “I snacked, I knew it wasn’t good, but I did it anyway. It’s all in your head,” she says with a little smile.

Like her, more than thirty precarious women suffering from obesity, diabetes or hypertension have used the services of La Maison Appatifante since the opening of its branch in Lille, in Hauts-de-France, one of the regions most affected by these chronic illnesses.

Born in 2022 in Ivry-sur-Seine, La Maison Soatife was designed as a safe place where you can find the keys to being more independent and regaining self-confidence when the care journey has been chaotic. It offers both nutrition workshops and physical activities as well-being workshops.

Understanding your illness

The goal is not to replace the medical profession, but to “take over to really be able to complete the care”, explains Jessica Cohen, the regional director. Each woman benefits from individual monitoring to identify their symptoms and understand their treatments.

Few really know their illness: “I use a pump with a balloon to explain hypertension. It’s more fun,” laughs Alicia Gens, health mediator. The approach is above all participatory.

This Thursday morning, Thérésie Mukarutabana, nutrition project manager, is leading a workshop. The atmosphere is studious and good-natured between the pink walls of the premises. Sitting at a table in front of a questionnaire on diet, seven women compare their answers.

Should you eat even when you are not hungry? Can we refill? The host shares tips for eating healthily at low cost. Because, for these precarious women, the obstacles are numerous: prices that are too high, lack of know-how or time, loneliness, difficulty combining products, etc.

Improve your mental health

Meanwhile, Ilham, the cook, is busy in the kitchen providing examples of dishes to reproduce at home. Every lunchtime, beneficiaries enjoy a shared and balanced meal.

With one eye on the sides with baked leeks, Ilham stirs up a chili con carne that fills the whole room: “I don’t add any salt or sugar to the preparation. At first they find it surprising, but they get used to it. » The participants’ recommendations are taken into account: “We use their recipes and we show them how to combine foods differently. »

In the afternoon, it’s muscle strengthening. Under the watchful eye of Sarah Benzekri, nutrition and physical activity project manager, the women practice several exercises to train their calves or arms: “I never had access to sport before,” enthuses Olga*, 65, who has recently been coming three times a week to take part in the sessions.

She lived in a toxic relationship for several decades. During this period, she was diagnosed with nervous hypertension. “Before, I was very strong, I ate everything I could get my hands on, it was a sort of refuge from unhappiness. » Today without resources, she feels free to confide: “Here, I am really comfortable,” she says, moved.

Beyond weight loss or reduction of medications, the improvement in mental health is immediately visible. More joyful, these women confide more and “will find the desire to fight quite quickly”, testifies Jessica Cohen. Through contact with others, beneficiaries become peer helpers and support each other through illness.

* The first name has been changed.