The actions of EdMF

The vision of EdMF

Underdevelopment or, more precisely, lack of the bare necessities for a great number of human beings, is not a fatality. The reasons are both political and economical, and the phenomenon is mostly recent. In most of the concerned countries, important civilisations used to flourish : to this day they are still famous for their art, science, and way of life.

We firmly believe that peace and the survival of our world will be reached if social and cultural inequalities are erased and therefore by a fairer shareFeeling that the main problems of our world remain beyond our individual means and that they only concern experts and governments is quite common. However, it is not true. These problems also affect the people, i.e. each and everyone of us. And just discussing problems in general will not help change things! Acting, as a person, makes you realise your own responsibility; acting today will build tomorrow's world where children will become adults.

The approach of EdMF

It is with a better knowledge of the context and the difficulties experienced in each country that EdMF tries to bring awareness, to change mentalities and opinions, and to promote an active, lasting and conscious solidarity with these countries. In addition, EdMF privileges the future of children in their home surroundings, and develops human relationships with its partners, who know the local needs better. These partners are people or institutions, sometimes local organisations, who work for the development of their country. Helping children implies a more global development process encompassing their surroundings (family, village, area). This is one of the conditions for a lasting success.

Acting here

Awareness and the evolution of mentalities towards a conscious solidarity create better knowledge and involve a participation in concrete actions with our partners.

INFORMATION  

Regional and national meetings, contacts here or abroad with our partners, the EdMF journal edited termly and sent to subscribers and members all over the world create important bonds between those who are willing to act...

Various media (greeting cards, posters, videotapes, documentaries) are used to communicate with the public in order to broadcast the vision of EdMF. Our subscribers strongly share our beliefs and usually have a close circle of friends and family who are also involved.

ACTING ABROAD

Different types of action are taken according to the local situations and the specific requirements of the various countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

SPONSORSHIP

Individual sponsorships enable children and teenagers to attend school or to get professional training and to grow up as integrated and active members of their society. Collective sponsorships enable groups of people to benefit from health or education projects.

- running of a school or a crèche

- development of a welfare centre

- help for professional training

Sponsoring means loving from afar, bringing a regular financial help for a fixed period of time, and regularly hearing from the sponsored child or group via the local partner.

DEVELOPMENT AID

The aim is to modestly bring the means which will help towards the realisation or the continuation of a locally settled development project in order to offer young people better opportunities for social integration.

- building and furnishing of schools or training centres

- purchasing of medical material

- drilling of wells

Participating in a project means giving financial help, following the development of a particular project and investing in the future.

HANDICRAFT

This branch of action often represents the opportunity for a family or a village to see to their needs through their own work, and the chance to bring means of survival to those who are excluded from a society, and to open a brighter future for the children. Handicraft includes: weaving, embroidery, sewing, leatherwork, woodwork and painting on material. Handicraft helps foreign people discover a country through its art and traditions, via items that have been made with little equipment and that present a country in a different way. EdMF organises exhibitions and sales of handicraft where these items are presented to the public until the workshops find local outlets and become autonomous.

ADOPTION

The first right of a child is to be brought up and loved by his/her own family. The first duty of EdMF is to do everything that is in its power to maintain these bonds. International adoption is considered for orphans or abandoned children when they cannot grow up in their own country. The child's interest comes before everything else. Children can only be adopted if they have been recognised as orphans in their own country. Local people in charge are the only ones who may make such a decision for their future. To adopt a child is to accept him/her as s/he is, and to respect him/her and his/her country of birth.

A QUICK HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION

EdMF is a Non Governmental Organisation created in 1975 and registered under the French law of 1901. Originally, EdMF started working mainly with India. Today EdMF has links with about ten countries. EdMF also acts as an adoption agency, officially approved since 1977 for the adoption of children in France, and authorised for international adoption by the French Foreign Office.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION STRUCTURE

EdMF's staff are all volunteers who live throughout France. Since 1980, the NGO has been split into different groups that organise events locally in order to encourage exchanges and contacts with the public. Ten regions cover the whole of France. The national team co-ordinates all the actions in France and liaises with the partners and correspondents (about 40) in about 10 countries, in a spirit of mutual respect and trust.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This light and decentralised structure

- maintains a local scale to the organisation

- offers great flexibility

- enables quick decisions and actions.

The national board, composed of the people in charge of each separate branch of action, meets twice a month to discuss daily problems. Those in charge of adoption meet regularly. One National Council and one General Assembly meeting are held annually. They are devoted to fundamental debates as to the organisation's major orientations and vouch for the organisation's general philosophy.

FINANCES

Private and personal donations from a faithful public (1,700 subscribers) are the main source. Commercial techniques (such as advertisements) to collect money are not used, nor do we appeal to anonymous public grants . The sums collected are entirely distributed to the partners at the end of each term, with respect to the donors' wishes.

MANAGEMENT

Administration expenses amount to less than 5% and are covered by various sales of items such are posters, cards, etc. The adoption team's running expenses fall under a separately managed accountancy.

   

   


Samedi 01 mars 2008

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