FMSI: 18 YEARS WALKING ALONGSIDE CHILDREN AND COMMUNITIES
A story that keeps growing, with a simple dream: to make what is right become normal.
Eighteen years ago, in a small room in Rome, a document was signed before a notary. It seemed a formal act, but from that moment began a story that has crossed continents, schools, villages, emergencies, and lives: the story of FMSI – the Marist International Solidarity Foundation.
Since that day, the world has changed many times. FMSI has changed too—grown and renewed itself. But one thing has never changed: the belief that every girl and every boy has the right to a safe childhood, to quality education, and to the opportunity to build their own future.
Today, eighteen years after its creation, FMSI celebrates a story built not only on numbers but on collaboration and community. A story written together with educators, Marist Brothers, local partners, and donors who have believed in the power of solidarity.
Throughout these years, the Foundation has worked in contexts marked by war, migration, and poverty, supporting schools, educational programs, and emergency initiatives that have restored dignity and hope to thousands of children, young people, and families.
Not just solidarity, but genuine participation: every project has become a space for
education and rights, where those in vulnerable situations have been able to
make their voices heard.
Since 2011, with consultative status at the United Nations, FMSI has brought those voices to the very places where policies are shaped. Through advocacy work and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), girls, boys, and adolescents have contributed to drafting recommendations for their governments.
A tangible sign of how participation can turn into real change: new laws, awareness campaigns, and a growing culture of shared human rights.
Every achievement is the result of collective work. FMSI never walks alone—it works in networks with Marist and secular organizations, journalists, institutions, and local communities. And it does so thanks to the constant support of donors who share the same vision: a fairer world where every childhood can be fully lived.
This journey is full of stories and faces. One of the dearest is that of Br. Jude Pietersen, a South African Marist Brother and former Director of FMSI, who during apartheid decided to open white-only schools to Black students.
“It was the normal thing to do”, he said. “If we live together, why should we study apart?” That simple gesture continues to inspire FMSI: to make what is right become normal.
Eighteen years later, the Foundation looks ahead with the same energy as on its first day. With the strength of its experience and the conviction that every step, every encounter, and every project can help build a future where rights are not a
privilege—but an everyday reality.
Happy birthday, FMSI.
Eighteen years of solidarity that continue to grow—together.
