Parrains Par Mille was founded in 1990, by Catherine ENJOLET. As a former teacher, she had realized that many children and their family where isolated and needed more relationships; she was also in touch with parents who wanted to get involved for children facing difficulties. She therefore decided to create a project that would facilitate the establishment of contacts between isolated families and people who wanted to give their time for children.
Today, Parrains Par Mille is an organization run by 4 employees and 8 volunteers at its headquarters in Paris; with 9 local organisations in other French regions, also run by volunteers. It belongs to GROUPE SOS Jeunesse, the Youth branch of a major social organization in France.
Parrains Par Mille allows children to have an affective bond with adults, in a regular, durable and secured relationship. The mentor is a complement of the parents, the school, etc. The mentor doesn’t replace anyone, he/she plays a specific role.
About 500 children benefit from Parrains Par Mille mentorship program.