Female Philanthropy in Côte d’Ivoire: Three Decades, Three Organizations, One Same Priority for the Vulnerable

When tracing the history of organized social action in Côte d’Ivoire, one common thread stands out: foundations led by the wives of heads of state. Over nearly four decades, three organizations have successively occupied this space, each with its own priorities, methods, and ties to a specific political period. This continuity deserves to be read not only as a charitable legacy, but also as the reflection of a model of social governance found in several African countries, where institutional humanitarian action and the presidential sphere are closely intertwined.

N’Daya International: laying the groundwork from 1987

It was Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny who opened this cycle by founding N’Daya International in 1987. The organization set itself the mission of improving the health, education and well-being of disadvantaged children in Africa, with a primary focus on Côte d’Ivoire. Among its concrete achievements is the creation of a nursery school in Adjamé, in the popular commune of Abidjan, intended to take in abandoned children. The foundation also supports clinics, orphanages and maternal and child health centers.

A cultural dimension sets N’Daya apart from its successors: the foundation is behind the animated series Kimboo, a Franco-Ivorian co-production of 48 episodes first broadcast in France in 1989. The daily newspaper Le Monde described N’Daya at the time as a foundation with “the ambition in particular of fostering a sense of brotherhood among children and peoples,” awakening young audiences’ curiosity about African cultural diversity. This educational and symbolic dimension stands in contrast to the more strictly health-focused approaches that followed. Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny’s commitment also extended beyond N’Daya: as early as 1963, she had created the Association des Femmes Ivoiriennes (AFI). In 2022, the Grande Chancellerie de l’Ordre national recalled both of these commitments on the occasion of her decoration as Grand Officer.

SERVIR: a health-focused anchor in the 1990s

Founded in 1996 by Henriette Konan Bédié, wife of President Henri Konan Bédié, SERVIR marks a shift toward intervention more focused on health and direct assistance to people with disabilities, women and orphans. Recognized as a public utility in 1999 and headquartered in Abidjan Cocody, the organization distinguished itself notably through a major project: the Centre international d’hémodialyse et de greffe rénale d’Attécoubé, built on approximately two hectares, with a main building of nearly 6 000 m² and an estimated construction cost of five billion francs CFA.

This investment in nephrology — a field still poorly covered by Ivorian public health structures in the 2000s — represents one of SERVIR’s most distinctive contributions. According to a 2012 publication cited by the AIP, the organization had also contributed to equipping the two Centres hospitaliers universitaires (CHU) in Abidjan. Alongside these major projects, SERVIR carried out community-level actions: donations of medical and educational equipment worth more than 20 millions de francs CFA to N’Zanfouénou, as well as Christmas events bringing together more than 1 200 disadvantaged children at each edition. This dual approach — lasting infrastructure and one-time assistance — characterizes the organization’s method.

Children of Africa: toward a continental ambition

In 1998, Dominique Ouattara founded Children of Africa in Abidjan. The founder stated her desire to “help and protect children, particularly the most destitute.” The organization stands apart from its predecessors through an explicitly regional vocation: it operates in Côte d’Ivoire and several other African countries, and mobilizes partners at an international scale. Its primary target groups include street children, orphans, socially marginalized youth and women in precarious situations.

The history of Children of Africa is inseparable from La Case des Enfants, the idea for which took shape in September 1994 among a circle of friends wishing to create a center for street children. In 1998, the founders transferred the structure to Dominique Ouattara, who integrated it into the foundation. In March 2024, a new La Case des Enfants, rebuilt and equipped, was inaugurated to improve reception capacity.

Education forms a second pillar. Children of Africa reports having created the Groupe scolaire d’excellence d’Abobo, designed for 700 pupils, and the Lycée Dominique Ouattara de Kong. The bibliobus initiative — mobile libraries equipped with books, computer equipment and audiovisual materials traveling across different regions — seeks to address the geographic divide in access to reading. On the health front, the foundation reports having organized medical caravans since 1998, with screening campaigns across several regions of the country.

A model that raises as many questions as it inspires

This overview reveals a remarkable continuity, but also raises questions that institutional reports do not address. These organizations operate in a hybrid space, midway between private philanthropy and para-state action: their founders wield considerable institutional influence, which facilitates access to resources, partners and media visibility, but makes any independent assessment of their real impact difficult. Beneficiary figures, coverage rates and long-term outcomes remain, in the available sources, largely absent.

Furthermore, the sustainability of these structures raises questions: N’Daya and SERVIR, closely tied to past presidential mandates, saw their public activity diminish with their founders’ departure from power. Children of Africa, active for more than twenty-five years, must demonstrate that it can embed its achievements over the long term beyond the current political period. This is the shared challenge for this type of organization across the continent: transforming personal momentum into a lasting institution.

Source: AIP (Agence Ivoirienne de Presse), 29 septembre 2026.

Further reading

• Sending money to Côte d’Ivoire
• Guide to investing in Africa

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