In the Haut-Richelieu region, many women face significant challenges: isolation, food insecurity, domestic violence, or the difficulties that arise during the post-separation period. For them, the path to autonomy often requires support that is human, tailored, and holistic.
The agency Collectivement Elles embraces this mission. “The greatest impact we have on the women who come to see us is helping them take power over their own lives,” explains Executive Director Esther Prince. As a popular education center dedicated to women, the team intervenes in all spheres of their lives.
The agency offers a welcoming and inclusive living environment, rooted in both rural and urban communities. Women of all ages, origins, and backgrounds gather here to build, together, a more supportive, autonomous, and equal community.
True to its approach centered on the real needs of women, Collectivement Elles focuses on listening, collaboration, and constantly adapting its actions to provide fair and sustainable solutions.
Through popular education workshops, coffee meetups, film discussions, evening talks, and breakfast gatherings, the agency provides an always-inclusive environment. It offers particular support to immigrant women by providing tailored services, while also promoting food autonomy through initiatives such as collective cooking groups, gardening workshops, and cooking sessions.
Esther Prince shares the story of a woman who began attending the community garden—an example that perfectly reflects the kind of transformation the agency seeks to foster:
“At first, she didn’t get involved much and rarely spoke. Little by little, the other gardeners got to know her, and she became a resource person. Today, she has developed a social network within the women’s center.”
The role of collective support
Financial support from Centraide of Greater Montreal plays an essential role in this mission. According to the Executive Director, this support makes it possible to respond to more needs, diversify services—especially in food security—and ultimately help more women reach their full potential.
Centraide of Greater Montreal’s financial support makes it possible to meet more needs and diversify services.
During the launch of Centraide’s 2025 campaign, the Executive Director of Collectivement Elles came to our offices to present her agency. In this video, she shares the concrete impact of Centraide’s support for vulnerable women in the Haut-Richelieu area.
1 out of 5 people receives our help.
5 out of 5 people benefit from it.
Let’s all lend a hand
Supporting a network of over 375 community agencies also means promoting an inclusive, poverty-free society.