All the information I was able to find came from the “family action” newspapers, the name given at the time to the Vaudoise Family Entraide newspaper.
The popular family support association “APEF”, the Yverdon family support association whose president was Mr. Jean Cochand and the Pully family support association have participated in the edition of this newspaper since its birth.

The first issue appeared on December 20, 1952. The subscription cost CHF 3/year at the time. Its members receive it for free. This magazine survives largely thanks to advertisements and I have noticed, over the years, that many traders and businesses in Yverdon bought an insert in the newspaper.

In February 1952, a few months after its creation, the EFY benefited from: a household tow truck, a mending tow truck, equipped with an electric sewing machine, a knitting service with two capable people each equipped with a machine , a child monitoring service on Wednesday afternoons, a bill exchange service;shabby, but clean and in good condition. Without forgetting the opening on Wednesday and Thursday. The workroom is a place where people gather to carry out sewing and embroidery work.

One year after its creation, our association has 300 members and for its first general assembly, the APEF and Pro Familia sent it a telegram of congratulations.
In order to finance two washing machines, rented out, the EFY prepares 150 kilos of orange jam which will be sold at the market. This action will last for years and the idea will be taken up by other associations. Some of them still sell this delicious marmalade.
I would like to insert certain elements of historical context into this review. Here's a first.
In 1953, the housing situation was very tense in our city which had many residents in financial difficulties. The Municipality of Yverdon offers land to build 72 low-rent housing units, costing approximately CHF 93.-/month for a 3-room apartment. It is also building 80 low-rent housing units, for an amount of CHF 57.50/month.
In another direction, the “Coin de terre” Group is tackling the problem of the 4-room family house. The first 18 subsidized houses were transferred to their owners, in exchange for a payment of CHF 4,000.- and a rent of CHF 105.-/month for 35 years.
The EFY will be extremely active. For years, she organized monthly cinema screenings and conferences. Recurring themes touch on all areas of the family, for example: “pocket money for our children”, “birth control”, “selling on credit”, etc...
In this regard, for years, the Postscript of all the Yverdon publications in the mutual aid journal concerned the harms of selling on credit: “Let us be wary of selling on credit, the main danger is ourselves. is so quick to sign and obtain an item without having to pay. But what cruel months afterwards.”
On March 27 and 28, 1954, the EFY organized courses to learn how to become activists. And in our city the first meeting of family association activists was held, in which representatives of Pro Familia Lucerne took part.
That year, 360 members were part of the association which opened a kindergarten.

During this period, the EFY campaigned for the granting of family allowances. When she questions a socialist MP about this, the latter reiterates his opposition to allowances. He believes that it would be a pillow of laziness for the bosses which would exempt them from increasing wages. In addition, these allowances would be a source of inequality, when a mediocre worker but father of a family would earn more than an excellent worker without children.
On April 30, 1955, the association's efforts to stimulate other regions to create paid off, since the Orbe section was created.

That same year, childcare courses were organized for a week, in the evenings from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the price of CHF 2.-.
In 1956, Lack of tenneries; a campaign is set up to recruit these ladies;who go to their homes, collect members' contributions.
In 1957, the town had 16,000 inhabitants and 400 families benefited from EFY services.
Creation of a home care service for CHF 1.- per hour and the EFY receives CHF 0.50 per evening.
Rental of knitting machines for the sum of CHF 2.- per day and washing machines
for the sum of CHF 2.- per half day and CHF 3.- per day, are in full swing.
The tenneries were overwhelmed by the scale of the load and in 1958, mutual aid would introduce payment by payment slip of contributions which amount to CHF 9.- per year;for active members.
In one of its reports, the EFY comments on family leisure activities by asking:
Public transport that better takes into account family expenses.
Chalets and cabins open to all
Healthy libraries with a department reserved for children and adolescents.
Film clubs
Price reductions for quality shows
Ways for everyone to exercise their creativity
The report concludes by saying: “Leisure is the lungs that fuel the family;of oxygen, the windows that it opens onto the world, the vitamins necessary for its health. Experiencing beautiful leisure activities allows people to work more happily and live better.
That same year. The cloakroom which was at the Château, moves to Rue d’Orbe 14.

In 1959, Entraide participated in the implementation of a free consultation of infants carried out by the pediatrician couple Dolivo and Doctor Jaccard.
At the same time, she became a member of the Vaudois Cartel of family support services.
Number of members: 441 and appearance of shoeshine machines for rent.
Two years later, readers of the newspaper had to pay for their subscription.
Finally, a new law is being developed on credit sales.
The clientele of the changing room changes somewhat, since, to the astonishment of some, Italians begin to come to buy clothes.

May 14, 1962: the Vestiaire moved again and established itself in the basement of the Collège des 4 Marronniers.
The following year, mutual aid purchased mopeds for family helpers
A year later, a children's club was created in the Quartier des Cygnes.
1965: notorious and welcome fact: The municipality increases its aid to CHF 4,000.-
1966: the creation of an assistance service for the elderly, financed by Pro Senecute.
The Lapin bleu childcare center opened its doors on Rue du Four and was inaugurated on June 3, 1967.
1968: large-scale propaganda is carried out to recruit family helpers.
In 1969, the EFY had 588 members, it became a member of the FRC and made 600 kilos of orange jam sold at CHF 6 per kilo.
In September 1971, the locker room was so successful that it opened its doors on Thursday evenings, in addition to Monday evenings and Tuesday afternoons. The cloakroom will collect 10 cents from each item put on sale.
In 1974, Mr. Berlie, director of the OMSV, came to Yverdon to debate the future relations between our association and the OMSV. An agreement will be signed between these two institutions concerning family assistance.
At that time, Mutual Aid had 940 members and only around forty attended general meetings. As it turns out, this problem already dates from yesterday.
When, in 1979, the statutes dating from 1952 were revisited, the point to be noted was that members must commit to campaigning within the framework of the association.
1983: New move, to Rue de Neuchâtel and new name: “A good opportunity”
Three years later, locker rooms opened 4 times a week. The association has 1,350 members.

Between 1989 and 1993, medico-social centers were set up. Remember the discussions with Mr. Berlie, director of the OMSV, in 1974. It took 15 years for lead to the start of care for people at home by medical-social centers. It was a difficult time for Mutual Aid which saw its family assistance service withdrawn.

October 1992: A maternity allowance of 200 francs is allocated for modest incomes. It would be necessary to wait until 2006 for a law on family allowances to be passed.
Remember, that already in 1954, mutual aid campaigned for these family allowances.

1997 Move to Rue des Pêcheurs. L’Entraide remained there for 19 years before moving to Avenue des Sports 48 in 2016.
Since the 2000s, the newspaper has reported very little about the association, which has gradually focused on its locker room. She had to suffer some losses: as I said above, the loss of her family support service and the takeover of the Lapin bleu daycare by the Municipality of Yverdon-les-Bains.

What a long way we have come! What a spirit of initiative! What avant-garde! So many services offered to the population over all these years. I can only thank all these volunteers who over the years have fought and campaigned to allow the most disadvantaged to have access to a whole series of benefits.
Today, there remains the Vestiaire run by 65 volunteers who are involved in this store, as if it were their own. We can only salute their entrepreneurial spirit and sense of responsibility. This store is a war machine! and I thank them warmly.