International actions

In 2009 the Mustela Foundation set up a partnership with Association Soeur Emmanuelle (ASMAE) to sponsor two projects, one in Lebanon and the other in Madagascar.

In Beirut ASMAE works in close collaboration with its local partner, AFEL (Association du Foyer de l'Enfant Libanais / Lebanese Child Home Association). The mission of this association is to prevent child abuse in Lebanon and improve the care provided to children who are victims of abuse.
To carry out this mission AFEL has child care facilities, offers refresher courses and also provides a help service to families thanks to a network of 5 social workers.
AFEL is currently helping nearly 500 children and 225 families in difficulty.
The Mustela Foundation has shown its support for this prevention programme with the publication of a guide on child abuse aimed at child care professionals. It also sponsors best practises exchange groups and the presence of a specialised psychologist in situ for 15 months.

In Madagascar ASMAE works with the leading Medico-Educative centre in the field of disablement - the Centre des Orchidées Blanches - based in Antananarivo. This centre helps people suffering from mental disabilities such as Down’s syndrome, motor neurone disease, autism, neurological disorders, etc, with their autonomy and social integration, which currently amounts to around one hundred children and adolescents.
The objective of the project sponsored by the Mustela Foundation is to train two educators on psychomotor rehabilitation and improve the exercise conditions in the Centre des Orchidées Blanches.

Until 2008, the Mustela Foundation had developed a partnership with the Valentina Association established in a disadvantaged area of Bucharest, in Romania, which enabled building a care centre for mothers in difficulty, so as to provide support during their pregnancy or future pregnancy, to both them and their children