The association S.O.S. BOîTES DE LAIT was founded by Abbé Pierre.
It was declared at the Paris Prefecture August 14, 1963.
The Association’s purpose, in the spirit of the Universal Manifesto of Emmaus, aids, according to its means, the child victims of the economic hazards of developing countries and the consequences of armed conflicts or natural disasters …
It takes all the means of action it deems necessary to fulfill its purpose.
In particular, it will use all the means necessary for public information, fundraising and collecting products as well as the delivery of products in the countries or regions concerned.
THE OBJECTIVES
By regularly providing suitable products intended for young children (0-6 years), S.O.S. BOÎTES DE LAIT seeks to help clinics, maternity wards, orphanages, kindergartens, hospitals, leper colonies, located mostly in rural areas, far removed from major urban areas and difficult to access.
Too small, these structures are often forgotten by humanitarian organizations despite the effective work they do with the local population to fight against malnutrition and consequently against infant mortality.
SELECTION OF BENEFITING CENTERS
Maternity, medical and nutritional centers, our recipients are selected based on the following criteria:
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- Will to fight against the effects of malnutrition and childhood diseases, as a result of this deficiency.
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- Quality of work done on the impoverished population around them.
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- Difficulty of finding and getting the products they need. The needs can often be modest but nonetheless essential.
- Lack of own resources.
Many of the structures benefiting from our aid have been selected by Abbé Pierre.
To respect his choices, we are pursuing its action.
TYPE COMPOSITION OF OUR SHIPMENTS
The packages that we manufacture and ship (10 to 15 kg each) contain either formula feeding for children 0-12 months, skim milk for older children or the nutritional supplement containing vitamins, trace elements , minerals, proteins and amino acids, essential to combat deficiencies and ensure normal growth.
SHIPMENTS
Although the shipping method is very expensive, to arrive directly to the recipient, our packages are made by volunteers for the great majority sent regularly every month by post.
For HAITI we benefit from the services of A.S.F. (Aviation Without Borders) much more affordable and just as fast.
In 2016, to reduce our costs of mailing, we developed our partnership with A.S.F. for some of our African centers.
In the same spirit, beginning from 2016, we are helping a center in Burkina Faso, where the transport is provided free by Air France flight attendants.
When possible, we take advantage of a container sent by an Emmaus group.
OUR FUNDS
Our budget, supplied 80% by Emmaus groups and the rest by private donations, remains modest for the increasingly important needs.