who we are

The mission of the SOS Madison International association is to shake things up in the world, to raise awareness that what happens to children in our societies is not always normal, to expose the injustice that no one wants to see or hear. It’s so much easier to pretend ignorance. In our world, while many people are happy, with food to eat, something to drink, a place to sleep, a home filled with love… we forget that at the same moment, somewhere in a country, a city, a village, a child is being brutally beaten, burned, kidnapped, mutilated, raped, and even killed. Many individuals have no qualms about exploiting a child’s innocence. Unfortunately, their rights are not always well-protected, and sometimes, even when they report inhumane and cruel situations, they are not heard. Yet, sometimes, millions of children worldwide cry out in despair. A cry of pain. But many people turn a deaf ear, play blind; and sometimes, it’s even our own families, our friends who do not react.

Everywhere in this world, there are both able-bodied and disabled individuals. Unfortunately, when you are blind, deaf and mute, intellectually disabled, or otherwise, able-bodied individuals make us feel like “we don’t deserve to live.” That’s what many people think. Even if they pretend to accept us, we can feel deep down that it’s not what they truly believe. If they could avoid us, ignore us, or – worse – harm us, if they could lock us away somewhere so we stop bothering them, many people would feel happier. They keep saying that disability is evolving, that disabled individuals are starting to be accepted, but it’s false!

Today, a disabled child, whether deaf, mute, blind, or even in a wheelchair, may sometimes face cruelty from their school peers, when all they ask for is to be accepted and to have the same rights as others, to have able-bodied friends to show them that disability is nothing more than a distortion of nature.

The SOS Madison International association aims to change all of this in the world by collaborating with other associations, foundations, organizations, and individuals of goodwill.

The SOS Madison International association is outraged by the lag concerning disability issues in France and around the world. Too many schools fail to respect laws regarding the right to education for disabled children. Too many public places are still inaccessible to people with disabilities.

SOS Madison International is equally appalled by the fact that banks often refuse to grant loans to people with disabilities or illnesses. It’s as if they’re saying, “We can’t lend you money because we don’t know when you’ll die. “One thing banks refuse to disclose to people with disabilities is that insurance companies reject all applications from disabled individuals. Unfortunately, when you’re disabled, getting a loan from the bank is nearly impossible. For instance, receiving a disability pension closes the doors to all credit opportunities. Another crucial and serious example is in the real estate sector in France. Landlords struggle to rent their properties to people with disabilities.

Our association also wants to fight for a change in the African continent, so that people with disabilities are no longer rejected: they should have the same rights as the able-bodied and even receive state assistance. We also want the artistic world to finally open up to everyone, including people with disabilities. Because having a disability doesn’t prevent anyone from creating beautiful things. With our association, we truly aim to make a difference in these two causes: childhood and disability, by working in partnership with other NGOs.