Oeuvre Federale Les Amis Des Aveugles et Malvoyants

What Oeuvre Federale Les Amis Des Aveugles et Malvoyants does

Oeuvre Fédérale Les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants is a Belgian ASBL (nonprofit) founded in 1885 by Léonard Simonon, providing multidisciplinary support for visually impaired individuals across the entire Belgian territory from operational sites in Mons and Koksijde. The organization operates an integrated service platform structured around eight core pillars: social accompaniment, health and functional rehabilitation, daily life adaptations, mobility, employment and education, parenting support, residential housing, and sports and leisure. Underlying capabilities include a unique Functional Rehabilitation Centre (Centre de Revalidation Fonctionnelle) in Hainaut, Belgium's first Guide Dog Training Centre (since 1946, now IGDF and BADF certified, training 10-15 dogs annually at a €43,500 cost per dog), braille and adapted reading services, orientation and mobility training, and Les Ateliers de Mons (an adapted work enterprise established in 1965 employing visually impaired individuals). The model combines a national network of 9 trained social workers providing free home-based accompaniment across all Belgian provinces with on-site rehabilitation, residential care, guide dog matching, and B2B/B2G advisory services including accessibility audits. Revenue is assembled from individual donations and bequests (via the Jesoutiens platform), partial government subsidies from AViQ (Wallonia), VAPH (Flanders), and COCOF (Brussels), corporate sponsorship (including Loterie Nationale), and revenue-generating activities at Les Ateliers de Mons. The University Certificate in Low Vision, co-developed and delivered jointly with UMONS, is the only such continuing education program in Belgium, taught by 19 expert instructors. Founded 140 years ago, the association serves approximately 4,000 beneficiaries annually across the entire lifespan, with a headcount of approximately 195-250 collaborators supported by 235 volunteers.

Name

Oeuvre Federale Les Amis Des Aveugles et Malvoyants

Legal name

ASBL Oeuvre Fédérale les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants

Website

https://amisdesaveugles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Belgian nonprofit (ASBL) founded 1885 providing integrated multidisciplinary support for visually impaired individuals across all Belgian provinces, including social accompaniment, functional rehabilitation, guide dog training, residential care, and professional training, serving 4,000 beneficiaries from two sites in Mons and Koksijde.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH), OT Evaluations, Assessments & IEP/504 Planning Support (EDAKAFAM)

Keywords

• Visual impairment services
• Guide dog training
• Functional rehabilitation
• Social accompaniment
• Accessibility consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ghlin

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: Individual donations solicited through the 'Jesoutiens' platform and bequests/testamentary giving. The primary fundraising mechanism for the general public, with a dedicated online donation portal.
2. Government Subsidies: Partial funding from regional governments (AViQ for Wallonia, VAPH for Flanders, COCOF for Brussels) for guide dog training. Subsidies cover part of the €43,500 per dog cost but are insufficient to cover full expenses.
3. Sponsorship and Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and mecenas provide financial support, with sponsors listed on the website including AViQ, Loterie Nationale, Surmars, Musée Photo.be, Musée Royal de Mariemont, PHARE, and Ville de Mons.
4. Social Economy Employment (Les Ateliers de Mons ETA): Adapted Work Enterprise (Entreprise de Travail Adapté) providing employment to visually impaired individuals, generating revenue through industrial and logistics services including document destruction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The organization delivers a fully integrated, multidisciplinary portfolio of services for visually impaired individuals across Belgium, spanning social accompaniment, functional rehabilitation, mobility training, daily life adaptations, guide dog training, employment support, parenting support, residential housing, and adapted sports and leisure activities. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and funded through donations, bequests, corporate sponsorships, and partial regional government subsidies. Specialized offerings include Belgium's first IGDF- and BADF-certified guide dog training centre, the joint UMONS University Certificate in Low Vision, and the Les Ateliers de Mons adapted work enterprise.

Product overview

Oeuvre Federale Les Amis Des Aveugles et Malvoyants is a non-profit organization founded in 1885 providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary services for visually impaired persons across Belgium. The organization operates from two sites (Mons and Koksijde) and offers an integrated service portfolio structured around eight core service pillars: Social Support (Accompagnement Social), Health and Functional Rehabilitation (Centre de Revalidation Fonctionnelle), Daily Life Adaptations (Vie Quotidienne), Mobility Services (Déplacements), Employment and Education Support (Emploi et Études), Parenting Support (Parentalité), Residential Housing (Hébergement), and Sports and Leisure (Sports et Loisirs). The organization also operates specialized sub-services including Belgium's first Guide Dog Training Centre (Centre de Formation de Chiens Guides, since 1946) accredited by IGDF and BADF, the University Certificate in Low Vision (offered jointly with UMONS), professional training programs (Passeur de sens, Voir la vie, Vision d'Aîné, Au-delà du cadre, Bon Acc-Oeil), accessibility audit services, the Les Ateliers de Mons sheltered employment enterprise, and the annual scientific symposium. Services span the entire lifecycle from birth to elderly care, serving approximately 4,000 beneficiaries with 195 collaborators and 235 volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre de Formation de Chiens Guides: The guide dog training centre, the first in Belgium, operational since 1946, with centres in Mons and Koksijde, accredited by IGDF and BADF.
• Les Ateliers de Mons
• Résidence d'Oultremont (Maison de repos et de soins)

Products and services

• Accompagnement Social (Social Support Services)
• Centre de Revalidation Fonctionnelle (Functional Rehabilitation Centre)

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% employability rate of non-visually impaired collaborators at Les Ateliers de Mons vs. 1% average for Walloon ETA enterprises
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• UMONS (University of Mons)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development and delivery of the only University Certificate in Low Vision in Belgium (126h + 24h internship). UMONS provides academic accreditation, lecture halls, and faculty. The ASBL contributes expert practitioners and real-world curriculum design.
• CAWAB (Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie Bruxelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of the CAWAB accessibility collective, working with all stakeholders to advocate for universal accessibility in public spaces, transport, streets, parks, housing, and websites.
• IGDF (International Guide Dog Federation)coreOthersInternational accreditation body for guide dog training. The ASBL's guide dog training centre is IGDF-certified, meeting global standards.
• BADF (Belgian Assistance Dog Federation)coreOthersBelgian national accreditation body for assistance dog training. The ASBL holds BADF certification for its guide dog training operations.
• Ville de MonsminorOthersMunicipal government of Mons listed as a supporting partner. The headquarters is located in Ghlin, part of the Mons administrative area.
• PHARE (Programme de Promotion de la Santé et d'Appui aux Etablissements et Services d'Aide et de Soins)minorOthersBrussels health promotion and support program listed as a sponsor. Part of the Iris network of Brussels public health institutions.
• Musée Royal de MariemontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural institution partnering for accessible museum visits and cultural activities for visually impaired beneficiaries. Part of cultural accessibility initiatives.
• Musée de la Photographie (Saint-Gilles / Photo.be)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography museum partnering for accessible cultural visits and test visits to evaluate accessibility for visually impaired visitors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Seeing Eye: US-based guide dog training school and pioneer in the field. Directly comparable to the Centre de Formation de Chiens Guides, with a similar breeder/foster/training/match pipeline producing guide dogs for visually impaired recipients.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind: US non-profit guide dog training organisation serving clients across North America. Comparable in producing 10–15+ guide dogs annually via foster family and training pipelines, though operating at significantly larger geographic scale.
• Guide Dogs (UK): UK charity providing guide dog training, mobility services and broader visual-impairment support. Directly comparable to the organisation's Centre de Formation de Chiens Guides given its scale of guide dog training and integration with mobility/independence services.
• Vision Australia: Australia-wide blindness and low vision service organisation providing therapy, guide dog training, assistive tech and employment services. Comparable scope of services and national-coverage ambition, though operating under different geographic and funding conditions.
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): UK-based charity delivering a comparable portfolio of social support, rehabilitation, advice, employment services and accessible products for blind and partially sighted people. Closest international analogue to Les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants' integrated multidisciplinary model.
• CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind): Canadian non-profit offering rehabilitation, assistive technology, employment and advocacy services for people who are blind or partially sighted. Closely comparable structure with national reach, regional service delivery and a mix of social and health supports.

Regional players

• Fédération des Aveugles et Amblyopes de France: French national federation representing blind and partially sighted people and delivering support services. Comparable mission and disability-services scope but focused on France rather than Belgium.
• Bartiméus: Dutch organisation providing diagnostics, treatment, guidance and residential services for people with visual impairment (and other disabilities). Comparable rehabilitation and supported-living service mix, focused on the Netherlands.
• Visio (Royal Dutch Visio): Dutch organisation offering rehabilitation, education and residential services for blind and partially sighted people across the Netherlands. Comparable multidisciplinary blindness-services model, though operating in a different national context.

Others

• European Blind Union: Pan-European advocacy body for blind and partially sighted people. Not a direct service peer but an ecosystem/advocacy counterpart that the organisation interacts with through its accessibility and CAWAB policy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lesamisdesaveugles1404
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lesamisdesaveugles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lesamisdesaveugles
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesamisdesaveugles
• Xx.com/amisdesaveugles

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Oeuvre Federale Les Amis Des Aveugles et Malvoyants