In 1984, Dr ANA MON, a lawyer and a middle class mother of five boys, went out to do some shopping with her children. They saw a little child, barefoot under the rain, looking for something to eat in a garbage can. She was shocked by the experience. She began to phone some of her friends, and organized a fund raising. The first meeting was held on February 24th 1984; in July 1985 the first "CASA DEL NINO" (Children houses) was born.

THE CHILDREN HOUSE ESPERANZA, built in a property offered by the Red Cross, gave food, education and care to 47 children between 3 and 12 years old, in La Plata (Capital of Buenos Aires Province).

The "Asociation of Family Support" was born as a private, apolitical ecumenic and noN-profit organization, and its first "Children Houses" was such a succes, than in the next year three new Houses in different points of the "Great Buenos Aires" were founded.

The "Asociation" grew to become a "Federation" of autonomous Asociations, each one running its own Houses. The number of Houses began to grow, first in the poor quarters around Buenos Aires, then in the rest of the nation.

But not only the organization is growing, children at the Houses were becoming teenagers and began to ask another kind of support from what had becamne their "extended family". In 1986 was founded the first "TALLER", a traning WHORKSHOP, to give them a real job and the possibility of training in a cooperative way, and 12 more followed.

1986.- There are 4 Casas del Niño - FAAF centres. The Association
becomes a Province Federation that gathers the 4 centres.

1991.- With the financial help provided by W. K. Kellogg Foundation the
Federation spreads over the country. 28 centres were started in a year.
Now the Federation has 42 centres. The Province Federation becomes
Family Support Federation of Argentina to reflect this growth.

1994.- With the financial help of Sasakawa Foundation of Japan 48 new
centres were started and now the Federation is present in all Argentina.

1995.- First International Assembly of Family Support was done with
representatives of 101 Centers of Argentina and 23 of ten countries of
America: Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Peru who signed a commitment to try to start
with autonomous Centers with the same social answer.

1996.- In Argentina exist 107 autonomous Centers and 5000 children.
The first steps to arrive to International Confederation were done.

02/09/1996.- countries (Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina) signed
the Basis of Statute of the International Confederation Sep.1996.

09/1996.- UNESCO Paris gives publicity to only 11 Foundations of Latin
America: one is Family.

02/1997.- United Nations of New York invited Family Support to be
present in the 35 Session of ECOSOC.

08/08/1997.- Malbram Foundation introduce us to Third Sector Forum
(the most serious Foundations of Argentina are there).

13/09/1997.- III International Assembly-Ecumenical Pannel.

02/1998.- UN New York invite FAAF to assist 37 Session of ECOSOC.

03/1998.- Regional Assembly of South Patagonia, May 98 North of
Argentina, June 98 Buenos Aires Assembly, July 98 Cuyo's Assembly,
August 98 Litoral.

29/10/1998.- Meeting with Lech Walesa.

09/1998.- 4th International Assembly of Family Support.

15/12/1998.- Nomination to the Nobel Peace Prize by Scott Bader
Foundation, Inglaterra (Nobel prize 1947, Quakers).

22/02/1999.- Congratulation for the nomination by United Nations
Information Center for Argentina and Uruguay: Angel Escudero de Paz.

15/03/1998.- Sona Armenian UN Representative Armenian Relief Society
and Ruth Norman by International Federation of home Economics (NGO
to the ECOSOC and UNICEF).

18/03/1998.- Statute of International Confederation of Family Support is
aproved.

07/1999.- Aprobation Consultative Status of United Nations Of New York.

05/2000.- Nomination to Nobel Peace Prize by International Home
Economics Services, Inc Presidente Ruth Norman.

08/2000.- 165 centers and 7500 children in Argentina and 1 in Uruguay,
3 in Perú, 1 in Venezuela and 2 in Mexico.

Congratulation from Deputys Forum of Province of Buenos Aires 19
October 2000 for Nobel Peace Prize 2000.

Congratulations from Mamerto Menapace 27 October 2000 and Direzione
Generale Opere Don Bosco: P. Vecchi 25 October 2000 and Pontificium
Consilium Pro Laicis Card. Sttaford: for the project "International for the
children".

Nomination from Goverment of Argentina for Conrad N Hilton
Humanitariam Prize, December 2000.

Invitation by Harvard University to assist to a course called: "Leaders in
Development".

Nomination for Nobel Peace Prize 2002 by Parents Forum, Eve Sullivan.

Objectives 2001-2005:

• Consolidate Argentina
• Multiplicate America
• Start in Haiti,other places of Africa and wherever this way of
  help to extremmely poor families is needed.

Started Children's Future Day Care Center Brameley South Africa:
May 2001.

Started Day CAre Center: Soweto South Africa, July 2001.

Started Saint Mary's Day Care Center: Marathakara, Thrissur, Kerala,
India: August 2001.

Started day care center Amelie in Haiti: April 2002.

Total 183 centers in three continents and 10.000 children.

F.A.A.F. Federación Argentina de Apoyo Familiar y C.I.A.F. Confederación Internacional de Apoyo Familiar
Calle 33 Número 1118. La Plata. Cp. 1900. Tel/Fax: 54 (0221) 422-3734 / 422-9328