What Friends-International does

Friends-International is a non-profit social enterprise founded in 1994 and headquartered at 29 rue Vaneau, Paris, registered under French Association Law 1901. It builds and operates a multi-country network of programs, branded the Friends Alliance, that provides holistic services to marginalized children, youth, and families. Its core offerings span emergency outreach and protection ('Saving Lives') alongside longer-term education, vocational training, family strengthening, and employment support ('Building Futures'), delivered through country programs including Mith Samlanh and Kaliyan Mith in Cambodia, Peuan Mit in Laos, Peuan Peuan in Thailand, Teman Baik in Indonesia, and Tha Ngae Chin Myar in Myanmar, plus Friends France and Friends Suisse in Europe.

Underlying this service portfolio are three platform-style assets. First, the ChildSafe Movement trains community agents to identify risks, prevent harm, and refer children to services. Second, 3PC is a third-party child protection certification system for organizations working with children. Third, social businesses (Friends the Restaurant, Romdeng, Cafe Mith Samlanh, Makphet) provide hands-on hospitality training and generate income. The underlying 'technology' is essentially an operational model rather than a software stack: field-based street outreach teams, training centers, social businesses, and a network of trained community volunteers.

The business model is donations-and-grants driven, with services provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Funding flows from individual donors, foundations (e.g., Caritas Australia), institutional partners (e.g., UNICEF Cambodia), and government collaborations (Cambodia MoSVY since 1994; Laos Ministry of Social Welfare since 2004). Supplementary revenue comes from training restaurants and shops. The organization employs 501-1,000 people and operates in 30 countries; in 2024 it supported 127,599 persons through alliance programs and reached 1.57 million people with child protection awareness messaging.

Name

Friends-International

Legal name

Friends-International

Website

https://friends-international.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Friends-International is a non-profit social enterprise operating a multi-country network of programs across Southeast Asia and Europe that delivers child protection, education, vocational training, and family support services to marginalized children, youth, and caregivers, funded by donations, grants, and social businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Protection and Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)

Keywords

• Child protection services
• Youth vocational training
• Social enterprise programs
• Community-based education
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phnom Penh

HQ country

Cambodia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primary funding source from individual donors, institutional donors, and foundation grants supporting child protection and social programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Friends-International is a non-profit social enterprise that delivers holistic, community-based child protection and youth development services across Asia and Europe. Its programs offer street outreach, education, family reunification, vocational training, and social-business employment pathways for marginalized children, youth, and their families through country-specific programs such as Mith Samlanh, Peuan Mit, and Teman Baik.

Product overview

Friends-International is a social innovation organization that operates a multi-country network of child protection programs across Southeast Asia and beyond. Its portfolio includes country-specific programs (Mith Samlanh and Kaliyan Mith in Cambodia, Peuan Mit in Laos, Peuan Peuan in Thailand, Teman Baik in Indonesia, Tha Ngae Chin Myar in Myanmar), supported by specialized initiatives like the ChildSafe Movement, 3PC certification, and Futures Offices for employment support. The organization also runs social businesses including training restaurants (Friends the Restaurant, Romdeng, Cafe Mith Samlanh, Makphet) that provide vocational training while generating income. The programs follow a holistic approach combining saving lives services, education support, family strengthening, and employment training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChildSafe Movement: Global child protection awareness and certification movement teaching communities to protect children from abuse and exploitation
• 3PC
• Futures Office
• Futures For Families
• Training Restaurants (Romdeng, Makphet, Cafe Mith Samlanh)

Products and services

• Mith Samlanh (Cambodia) Phnom Penh-based flagship program delivering integrated child protection, education, healthcare, and family reunification services for street children and marginalized youth in Cambodia.
• Kaliyan Mith (Siem Reap, Cambodia) Siem Reap-based program providing drop-in services, education, vocational training, and child-safe tourism initiatives for at-risk children and youth.
• Peuan Mit (Laos) Laos country program offering outreach, shelter, education, and family support services for street and vulnerable children in Vientiane and other locations.
• Peuan Peuan (Thailand) Thailand country program delivering drop-in centers, education, vocational training, and reintegration services for street children, refugees, and migrant youth.
• Teman Baik (Indonesia) Indonesia country program providing holistic child protection, education, and youth empowerment services for marginalized children and families.
• Tha Ngae Chin Myar (Myanmar) Myanmar country program focused on education access and child protection for vulnerable children and youth in Yangon and surrounding areas.
• ChildSafe Movement Global child protection awareness and community action campaign that trains individuals, businesses, and governments to recognize and respond to children in vulnerable situations.
• Social Businesses and Training Restaurants Vocational training enterprises, including Friends 'n' Stuff restaurants and shops, that provide hands-on hospitality and retail training for youth while generating revenue to support program operations.
• Futures Offices Career counseling and employment placement services connecting program graduates with sustainable job opportunities in the private sector.
• 3PC (Three Pillars Community) Community-based program model that integrates prevention, protection, and family strengthening interventions for vulnerable children and their caregivers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16,083 children supported for education in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Laos Ministry of Social WelfarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Partnership since 2004 to operate Peuan Mit program providing holistic services to children, youth and caregivers living on streets and in marginalized communities in Laos.
• Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY) - CambodiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994Long-term partnership since 1994 with Cambodia's Ministry of Social Affairs for collaborative work on street populations and marginalized communities. FI has built its model with government support and collaboration.
• UNICEF CambodiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on child protection campaigns including '#ENDviolence' campaign and 'Children Are Not Tourist Attractions' campaign.
• Angkor Hospital for ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint monthly training sessions for foster carers where hospital staff cover medical/health topics and Friends covers social/emotional aspects.
• Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) CambodiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for mental health support. TPO provides psychiatric treatment at home for beneficiaries with mental health issues.
• Cambodian National Committee for Homeless PeoplemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on addressing homelessness with MoSVY, presenting best practices in working with street living populations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Street Child: International charity specifically focused on street children and child protection with operations across South Asia and Africa. Direct overlap with Friends-International's original street-children mission in Cambodia and broader region.
• SOS Children's Villages: Operates family-based care and youth development programs for marginalized children across 130+ countries. Direct peer on alternative care, family strengthening, and youth transition services overlapping with Friends-International's programs.
• ChildFund International: Sponsors vulnerable children in developing countries across Asia and Africa with focused work on child protection, education, and youth livelihoods. Highly comparable to Friends-International's child-focused social service model.
• Hagar International: Specializes in recovery and social integration of trafficked, exploited, and extremely vulnerable women and children, with strong Southeast Asia presence. Closely comparable focus on protecting and economically integrating marginalized populations.

Emerging players

• ChildAid Network: European-based network funding self-help projects for street children in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Comparable donor/coordinator model and focus on marginalized youth in developing countries.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision International: Large Christian humanitarian organization focused on child welfare, education, and community development across Southeast Asia. Comparable beneficiary model centered on vulnerable children and families.
• Plan International: Global NGO focused on children's rights, education, and youth empowerment, with significant operations in Southeast Asia. Direct overlap with Friends-International's education, protection, and youth livelihood programming.
• Save the Children: One of the world's largest child-focused NGOs operating education, child protection, and emergency response programs globally. Highly comparable mission to Friends-International's child protection and education mandate, though at vastly larger scale across more geographies.
• Compassion International: Global child sponsorship organization focused on child development, education, and family support across developing countries, with strong Southeast Asia presence. Comparable beneficiary model and donor-supported program structure.
• UNICEF (East Asia & Pacific Regional Office): UN agency delivering child protection, education, and welfare programs across Southeast Asia. Already a Friends-International campaign partner (e.g., #ENDviolence); comparable scope and beneficiary model in the same operating geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Friends_Intl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/friendsinternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/friendsinternational
• Instagraminstagram.com/friends_intl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-international_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends-International