The governance of the association is overseen by a General Assembly, a Board of Directors, supported by a General Secretariat in France, a network of support branches, and a Management Committee in Cambodia, which responds to the balance between delegation and supervision. Each party has its responsibilities and all work cooperatively and with trust.
The operating rules of these bodies are described in the Statutes and in the Rules of Procedure.
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant’s Board of Directors
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant (PSE) is an association under the French law of 1901, created in April 1993, whose members are all volunteers. It is managed by a Board of Directors made up of 6 to 18 members, elected for a period of three years by the General Assembly of members.
The Board of Directors, meets three times a year, it defines the association's project, values and strategic direction over several years by involving the operational bodies.It defines the association's policies and approves the operating budget and projects. It draws up the accounts for presentation to the General Assembly for approval.
The Board of Directors elects from among its members an Executive team, elected for one year (renewable), which oversees the day-to-day management of the association and reports to the directors.
The Headquarters in France
The headquarters of the association in Versailles is managed by a permanent General Secretary.
The association employs six permanent staff whose main tasks are:
- the secretariat
- managing donations and sponsorships
- managing corporate sponsors and partnerships
- coordination of the branch network
- communication
- liaison and assistance to the President and the Board
Several volunteers regularly contribute their skills (accounting, managing donations, graphic design, website, legal, translation, coordination of volunteer work in Cambodia, etc.).
Do you have any questions or want to know more? Please contact us!
Elizabeth de l'Eprevier, Head of Secretariat, Sponsor and Donor Relations, Legacies and Donations
How the association in Cambodia operates
Khmerizing the team in the field has been a primary objective of Pour un Sourire d'Enfant from the beginning: Cambodians must be the actors in the development of their country. This is the goal of Christian and Marie-France des Pallières, the founders of the association, to ensure the sustainability of the programmes.
The management team is therefore almost entirely Khmer, organised under the direction of Leakhéna des Pallières, a girl who used to scavenge on the dumpsite who was taken in by PSE, and two deputy directors: Makara Men and Bernard Faurot.Every year she proposes to the Board of Directors an action plan and a budget for the coming year, depending on the strategic objectives. With her team, she manages and implements the programmes.
Pour un Sourire d'Enfant has more than 600 employees in Cambodia, 95% of whom are Khmer: teachers, trainers, doctors, psychologists, social workers, IT specialists, maintenance technicians, administrative employees, kitchen staff, etc. About sixty of them are former beneficiaries of the association.
The role of Christian and Marie-France des Pallières, founders of the association
Christian, who passed away in September 2016, and Marie-France have lived and worked in Cambodia among the children from the beginning of their work in the country, and Marie-France still lives in the Pour un Sourire d'Enfant centre in Phnom Penh.
Marie-France is a member of the Board of Directors and ensures that the commitments made to sponsors and donors are respected, as well as the ethics of PSE, as expressed in the association's Charter. She manages the publication of a quarterly newsletter, aimed at the association's sponsors and donors.
Many volunteers committed to the association
The 24 support branches in France and around the world are local groups of volunteers who publicise Pour un Sourire d'Enfant's actions for the benefit of the most disadvantaged children and raise funds in their region. Some groups are themselves constituted as associations.
There are 300 volunteers in France and around the world.