A French couple, Jacques and Ariane, founded Le Pélican's centres and, following a family bereavement, dedicated their lives to helping needy children. After serving in Albania, they arrived in Afghanistan in 2000 to work for a humanitarian NGO that served the poor. As they worked, the couple observed the desperate plight of children on the streets and decided to start their own NGO to more effectively meet the needs of Afghanistan's impoverished children. Sadly, in November 2013 Jacques died of cancer after a short period of sickness. Sustained by her Christian faith Ariane has determined, with the support of MMN, to continue the work with new homes, feeding and educational programmes have been established with a particular concern for the deaf community.
