Supporting the right of children and young people to healthcare and education, helping them become players in their own community and guiding them on the path towards independence ... Those are just some of the causes that mobilize Fondation de France and many donor-advised funds throughout the world.

The International Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that every child has a right to education. And yet, more than 250 million school-age children have no access to education at all. This problem became more acute with the closure of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Globally, at least a third of students –a staggering 463 million children– were not able to access distance learning when their school was closed. Millions of young people starting out on their adult life found that it was being compromised by a lack of training or job opportunities. And throughout the world, the social and psychological impact of lockdown was particularly tough on young people and students.

On the health front, and despite undeniable progress, millions of children under the age of five are still dying from avoidable and curable diseases.

Granting each child the right to grow up healthy, to learn and to take action

These are the issues donor-advised funds focus on in various parts of the globe, be they for children in Haiti (Fondation Aujourd’hui pour demain – a foundation “now for the future”), young Mexican girls (Fondation Mexxa), young people in Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam (Fondation Amanjaya), African schoolchildren (Fondation Frères du Sud), young people in Madagascar (Fondation Aldinie) and young girls in Morocco (Fondation Béatrice Schönberg). In every location, the idea is to support young people and their families, teachers, professionals, and the construction of facilities, so that younger generations can build their own future with the benefit of a good education.

The second philanthropic engagement addresses access to healthcare, especially for the most vulnerable children and young people: those who are underprivileged, disabled, suffering from mental disorders and orphans. This is the work of several donor-advised funds: Daniel et Martine Raze, Enfants de Syrie, Aldinie and Fleur du Désert, the latter combating the scourge of excision in Sierra Leone.

Mediterranean, From One Shore to the Other, a program centered on young people

Since 2008, Fondation de France has been supporting hundreds of projects led by and for young people (18-30-year-olds) in North African countries. The projects supported scale up in response to social, cultural, environmental and local needs. They are based on local resources, which facilitates training and economic integration for young people as citizens.