Sébastien Marot is the Founder and Executive Director of Friends-International. His journey began unexpectedly in 1994 during his travels in Cambodia. While in Phnom Penh, he encountered street children living in dire conditions. This moment pushed him to take action, launching the Mith Samlanh project to support these vulnerable children. What started as a small initiative grew into Friends-International, now operating in 18 countries across four continents.
Under Sébastien’s leadership, the organization provides protection, reintegration, and education to marginalized youth. The ChildSafe Movement, which trains communities to protect children, amplifies Friends-International’s impact.
Highlights
How Sebastien Marot Founded Friends-International
Q: What inspired you to start Friends-International during your 1994 travels in Cambodia, and how did your previous experiences influence this decision?
A: Firstly, I’m not a social worker. I studied political sciences. I’ve worked at the French Embassy and in marketing for L’Oréal! In 1994, I decided to live in Japan and, on my way, visited Cambodia. I was not planning on staying long.
However, one night, by the Central Market, I saw children sleeping on the sidewalk on cardboard. This pushed me to take action.
In hindsight, there are two main reasons for that decision:
First, I believe passionately in social justice and cannot accept having very poor people while others become very rich.
Secondly, it made no sense to me to see to see all these children on the streets and in abject poverty while the world was trying to rebuild Cambodia: you cannot rebuild a country and leave the children behind.
So my education and experience didn’t ‘really’ lead me to start Friends. However, they guided me in how I ran the organization. I turned it into a social enterprise, adding business components to vocational training, focused on a strategic vision and organization, pushing for system change and making us pioneers in the field.
Q: Can you tell us about some of the major milestones that Friends-International has achieved since it began, and the impact these have had on the communities you serve?
A: We started in 1994. By 1996, we began vocational training as a business, setting an early model for social enterprise. That year, we created a project to integrate children into families, which became a model for the government. We also started a pioneering project in 1996, working with children affected by HIV/AIDS in Southeast Asia. In 1999, we launched a drug rehabilitation project, and in 2000, we opened our first training restaurant. We expanded this work to Laos in 2004, followed by Thailand in 2005, Siem Reap in 2007, Indonesia in 2007, and Myanmar in 2018.
In 2005, we launched the ChildSafe Movement, a network focused on child protection. This international and local network involves all stakeholders, including advocacy and community-based protection. In 2007, we formed structured partnerships with other organizations. Then in 2010, we introduced Health & Love, an online platform offering sexual health and relationship advice for youth. That same year, we launched TREE Alliance, a global network of training restaurants. We also ran several campaigns using ChildSafe resources. One of these, ‘Children Are Not Tourist Attractions,’ launched in 2011 and remains active today.
In 2017, we launched ChildSafe Experiences, activities designed to promote child protection among tourists. Then in 2018, we introduced Futures Employment and the F3 (Friends Futures Factory) projects. These projects help youth access opportunities, including training, decent employment, and platforms for their creative work. We have been reviewing and rebuilding projects in the post-COVID landscape. Some exciting new social innovation initiatives are lined up in the coming months. We are fortunate to have made an impact in saving lives and building futures. Over the years, we’ve also been recognized with several international awards, which has been very encouraging!
Q: What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in expanding Friends-International to 18 countries, and how have you overcome them?
A: Yes, expanding an organization like Friends-International to so many different countries comes with its fair share of hurdles. One major challenge is figuring out how to remain connected to the local communities while maintaining unity across all locations. You have to have a solid foundation yet be adaptable to different cultures. This is why we built the organization around country/city programs, with each program having a team of local staff around a local director (we can have some people speaking other languages depending on the needs, such as Khmer speakers in Bangkok who work with the Cambodian migrants).
Another issue we’ve encountered is the need for clear rules and regulations around social enterprises. Sometimes, governments can throw up roadblocks that make it difficult to operate smoothly. We’ve had to get creative in finding ways to navigate these obstacles.
Of course, there’s also the major challenge of funding. Innovation is key, but getting donors to buy into new ideas can take time and effort. They want to see results before they commit, which can be frustrating when you’re trying to push boundaries.
Expanding through 3PC partnerships and working closely with carefully selected international and local partners to minimize logistical and financial issues has been a great solution, but it’s not without its own set of challenges. Keeping everyone on the same page and engaged can be tricky, especially when donors also have their agendas.
Overall, it’s been a journey of finding common ground and creating tools that work for everyone involved. From Futures planning to drug work to running successful training businesses, we’ve had to build toolboxes that cater to the diverse needs of our organization and our 3PC Partners in various geographies and cultures.
However, challenges are important: they offer opportunities to reinvent yourself, to create, re-create, and rethink how you need to operate. Challenges fuel innovation and growth.
Q: When working with marginalized youth, what surprising lessons or insights have you learned from them that have influenced the direction of Friends-International?
A: A good illustration of that is when I first started Friends in 1994. I went to ask children and young people what they wanted. They said education and a safe place to stay.
Now I listened to them and created a center that had a dormitory (safe place) and a school (education). But, within a week all the young people had left the center.
So I had to go back and ask again and not only listen but understand what they told me. This is when I understood that when they said education, they meant education to get a job and make money: training and employment. This is when we started vocational training and the program expanded rapidly.
It is now very much part of our way of operating: asking children and young people about their desires and making sure we clearly understand. That also applies to other parts of our work: for example in defining our vocational training and soft skills programs, we ask employers about what they need and would like to find in employees. This informs our trainings and ensures that our students are very employable.
This is how we ensure that our services truly meet the children and youth’s needs. Without that input, we risk becoming out of touch and irrelevant to the very people we aim to support!
Honestly, everything we do at Friends-International is inspired and guided by the people we work with!
Q: Can you share a story of a moment or decision that radically changed the trajectory of Friends-International, something that might not be widely known?
A: Moments… well, looking back, it was in 1996 and we were running out of money; I was actually about to close the program and leave and on a Friday had a meeting with the team to announce that we were forced to close. Then, on Monday a call came through from the Australian Aid program (AUSAID), offering funding. This funding was then followed by other donors.
In terms of decisions, the one to set up vocational trainings as businesses was a crucial strategic move- innovative, effective and sustainable, all in one! Vocational training is very expensive to run. So we opened the first vocational training workshops in 1995, without funding. This is when I decided (because of my more business background) to run the vocational training as businesses, so that the income would cover the costs of operations. We ran an early social enterprise which initially was met with criticism and doubt and eventually became an award winning model.
Q: As someone who has navigated diverse cultural landscapes, how do you cultivate a sense of global solidarity and shared purpose among the various communities and stakeholders Friends-International serves?
A: With 18 nationalities represented across our programs across multiple geographies and cultures we are clearly facing a situation of diversity. However, the issues we face are universal. No matter where you go, children are at risk and people everywhere want to help.
Among the ‘glues’ that hold our work together are our vision and strong values that focus on meeting the needs of our beneficiaries and promoting sustainability without relying on ‘traditional’ charity. There is a strong ‘Friends’ culture, with a shared sense of purpose and the feeling of the significant impact we have on so many lives.
We ensure that we adopt good ideas from programs, test them, and refine them. Then, we create a sharable and adaptable toolbox for specific issues. This approach led to cross-cutting projects like the ChildSafe Agents. These community volunteers are trained to work with our teams, boosting efficiency and impact. We also developed models for Safe Migration, drug work, vocational training, and employment access. Teams can follow these models but adapt them to their culture and situation. They also share experiences and good practices, fostering a common objective and collaborative spirit.
This is expanded outside of the organization. For example, globally, we have created the ChildSafe Movement, a program that empowers everyone to protect children. The ChildSafe Movement provides the tools and resources needed to achieve this common goal, and we train partners to be implementers in their region. ChildSafe proves that we can make a difference and create a better world for all children, even if we operate in a very diverse cultural landscape.
Q: What keeps you motivated and passionate about your work after all these years?
A: The core issues that have driven me over the years, such as social justice and equity, have not been resolved – in fact, they may be getting worse. This only strengthens my determination to make a change in the system, and we have to do this together.
The rapid changes in the contexts and landscapes where we operate also force us to remain responsive, flexible, and unlimitedly creative at all times. This creates excitement and renewal: the work is never dull!
Finally, it is the impact on people: it is clear and urgent.
Over the past 30 years, we have seen many success stories of the kids we have helped. Although there are still too many children in danger and far too many families in need of support to help them create a brighter future for themselves, all the success stories and the changes that we create at the personal or institutional level are what keep us going!
Insights on Driving Social Change Through Innovation
Throughout this Q&A, Sebastien Marot’s commitment to social justice, innovation, and community-building is clear. His journey, from starting Friends-International with little funding to expanding into 18 countries, shows the power of vision and adaptability.
Key lessons from this conversation include listening to the real needs of marginalized youth and facing challenges with creativity. Building sustainable models is not only vital for social enterprises but also for any entrepreneur striving to create impact. Sebastien’s journey reminds us that challenges drive innovation. With the right mindset, business can become a powerful force for good.
Highlights
Read the Chinese version here.
