About Us
VISION
Our vision is a world where every child has many futures and the freedom to choose one
MISSION
Our mission is to support vulnerable children and communities – currently focusing on Ukraine – by delivering direct, in-person support in education, health, and nutrition, while promoting dignity, equity and accountability in every region we reach.
Guided by our core values of Dignity, Hope and Action, Emile Foundation defends the rights of children in crisis, with an urgent priority on locating, securing the release, and safely returning every Ukrainian child unlawfully transferred to, or within, the Russian Federation.
Emile Foundation locates and brings home Ukrainian children deported to Russia and Russian-occupied territory — 50 children returned as of October 1st, 2026, with hundreds more in active casework. We are based in The Hague and Kyiv, and work with a network of international partners including the Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, GLOBSEC and EuroChild.
Our tracing and investigation work is informed by open-source intelligence methods and relies on proprietary case-tracking software.
Our Goodwill Ambassador Oleksandra Matviichuk — 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of the Center for Civil Liberties — supports our advocacy for the children’s return.
THE STORY BEHIND EMILE
Emile Foundation was originally named Orphans Feeding Foundation and was founded in 2011 in the Netherlands by Mariam and Samuel Lambert. Initially focusing on charity projects in Kenya supporting orphanages, the foundation has since built schools, provided food and medical supplies on various continents. The Foundation’s fight for fairness and support of the vulnerable continues to grow with initiatives across the globe, supporting children in Nepal, Morocco, Tanzania, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands and recently Ukraine.
In October 2024 the foundation was renamed to EMILE FOUNDATION.
