AIMA - Humanitarian Section
Who We Are
The NGO AIMA, is under agreement with several French eco-organizations: Valdelia, Ecosystem, Eco-Mobilier, and Ecologic. AIMA obtained the French agreeement "Solidarian Institution of Social Utility" (ESUS) in 2017.
We would like to sincerely thank all the donors who have trusted us, for the most part for many years, and who allow us to expand our network.
Over the course of the travels and visits, we had the pleasure of seeing the arranged beds and furniture sent by AIMA and offered by French elderly homes, hospitals, hotels or holiday centers and the eco-organization Valdeli.
All obsolete medical equipment in France meets the needs of many international institutions (Baltic countries, Ukraine, Africa). AIMA association makes it possible to set up the necessary actions for the transfer of this material.
Each convoy organized gives rise to a report on our blog, and we receive photos and letters of thanks from the recipients. Every quarter, all the documents concerning the convoys are sent to VALDELIA and ECOSYSTEM who support us financially to promote reuse, rather than recycling. AIMA only sends what the institutions need, and only what is in good condition, usable directly, after having been cleaned and disinfected.
Our Actions
Since 2013, AIMA sends semi-trailers: currently we send about 30 trucks per year (from 100 to 120m3) internationally. This represents each year more than 1000 electric beds with their mattresses, accommodation and catering furniture, technical aids, linen, etc.
Destinations and volumes: As of June 1, 2022, AIMA has already sent 212 trucks from 100m3 to 120m3. To Eastern Europe (Latvia, Lithuania, Poland), Ukraine since the end of February 2022, and other continents like in Africa (Senegal, Benin, Burundi, etc.).
In 2021, we reused 1461 electric beds and their mattresses. We have reused 300 tonnes of medical equipment internationally.
The economic model: The sales of our second hand furniture hangars (called in France "recycleries") allow us to carry this important humanitarian component (collection costs carried out by AIMA employees and trucks, storage costs, loadings...). We also have the financial support of Eco-Organisms (Ecosystem, Valdelia…). Recipients only pay transportation costs from France to their country, except for Ukraine.
The traceability requirement
Everything we send is in good condition. What is electrical is tested, one by one. We have an obligatory process to ensure the delivery of our donations:
- before sending: an official letter of request from the recipient, and our partnership document signed and stamped
- after receiving the truck: a certificate of receipt signed and stamped by the recipients, a letter of thanks and pictures of the unloading.
This traceability requirement allows us to keep the trust of our network of donors as well as the financial support of eco-organizations (ECOSYSTEM, ECOLOGIC and VALDELIA), which are absolutely necessary for our humanitarian section to keep going.
We regularly visit our recipients: trip to Lithuania in September 2021 with visit to 18 health institutions, feasibility study in Senegal in November 2021 alongside the NGO Horizons Sahel, meeting with recipients at the border Poland-Ukraine in March 2022, trip to the Baltic countries in September 2022…
Us in pictures !
Find all the reports of our international sendings in our blog, just there !
