Who We Are
Born from both a personal journey and an entrepreneurial vision, the Valérie Messika Foundation places children at the heart of its commitment, convinced that childhood is the essential foundation upon which the future is built.
Because children who are protected, loved, and free grow into resilient and engaged adults, the Foundation works to provide them with the tools they need to shape their future through concrete initiatives that make a difference from the earliest years of life. The Foundation is also committed to empowering women, recognizing their fundamental role in nurturing future generations and fostering balanced, thriving societies.
Established in 2021 under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the Valérie Messika Foundation supports impactful projects led by charities and NGOs working close to communities and their needs. Its commitment is structured around four key pillars: Protection & Recovery, Education & Empowerment, Health & Nutrition, and Inclusion & Disability
Founder’s message
If I have been able to succeed, it is because I was free. Free to believe, free to create, free to dream. A few years ago, I wanted to create a foundation that would allow women to benefit from some of the opportunities and support that guided me on my own path to fulfilment. This foundation is also the result of another defining moment in my life: the birth of my two daughters. . Because I firmly believe that childhood is the foundation of the world, I am committed to providing the most vulnerable with a framework of concrete and measurable actions that will protect the universal light of innocence and illuminate the path for future generations.
Our Story
A Conviction Rooted in Life Experience
After more than twenty years building a business in the traditionally male-dominated world of jewellery, Valérie Messika felt a growing desire to give a deeper meaning to her commitment.
Driven by a passion she inherited and then passed on, she chose to share her good fortune with those who need it most and to create lasting, meaningful impact.
Her personal story, shaped in part by growing up alongside a sibling with a disability, nurtured a strong sense of empathy, sensitivity, and a genuine desire to support others.
She holds a profound conviction: the care and attention given to children play a decisive role in shaping the adults they become.
Over time, this belief became a driving force. Drawing on her experience and journey, she chose to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting concrete initiatives for those facing the greatest challenges.
The Foundation is therefore rooted in a spirit of transmission and responsibility, with the ambition of giving every individual the confidence to believe in their future and build their own path.
The Foundation was born from a simple conviction: sometimes, the right support at the right moment can change the course of a life. It can allow a girl to stay in school, help a child regain confidence, or give someone the opportunity to move forward again. This is the concrete, demanding, and deeply human mission we are committed to carrying forward.
Our mission
Taking action from the very beginning of life,
where futures are shaped.
The Valérie Messika Foundation works to protect childhood by restoring what is most essential: innocence, freedom, and light. It supports impactful initiatives in the fields of education, health, and care for the most vulnerable children, helping to provide them with a safe and nurturing environment in which they can grow and thrive.
Through its actions, the Foundation gives children the strength, confidence, and opportunities they need to build their own future.
Because this balance is also shaped by the women who surround and support them, the Foundation is committed to advancing women's empowerment, recognizing their fundamental role in transmission, education, and the well-being of future generations.
The Foundation focuses its work on four key priorities: Protection & Recovery, Education & Empowerment, Health & Nutrition, and Inclusion & Disability.
1. Protection & recovery
Protecting children and young people exposed to violence, instability, or the loss of essential support systems, while helping them rebuild and move forward.
2. Education & empowerment
Providing access to learning, knowledge, and personal development, while fostering critical thinking, confidence, and independence.
3. Health & Nutrition
Addressing the essential needs on which everything else depends : access to food, healthcare, and a stable environment in which children can grow and thrive.
4. Inclusion & Disability
Creating opportunities for those who are too often left behind, ensuring that every individual has the support needed to participate fully and reach their potential.
The values that guide our actions
Three founding values guide every action of the Foundation.
Freedom is an essential force in shaping one’s future. It embodies the courage to act, the drive to move forward, and the ability to take control of one’s own path. It is built from childhood through education, healthcare, and access to opportunities, enabling every individual to look ahead with confidence and pursue their aspirations freely.
Love is the foundation of everything. It creates connections, nurtures solidarity, and provides the grounding on which every individual can grow. Being supported, protected, and encouraged gives people the confidence to believe in themselves, flourish, find their place in the world, and, in turn, pass that strength on to others.
Light embodies hope and possibility. It guides, inspires, and provides the strength to move forward, even in the most difficult moments. Like a precious sparkle, it represents the ability to believe in one's dreams, rise above challenges, and forge one's own path with confidence and determination.
Contextual Factors and Indicators
Measuring impact over time
Over the years, the Valérie Messika Foundation has developed meaningful initiatives alongside committed partner organisations. These key figures reflect both the scale of its actions and the lasting impact of its commitment to protecting childhood and empowering women.
Our Approach
The Valérie Messika Foundation takes action with purpose and conviction.Working alongside trusted partners on the ground, it supports initiatives that are closely connected to the needs of children and women, guided by a commitment to relevance, measurable impact, and lasting change.
Foundation Rooted in the Field
The Foundation’s initiatives are deployed in France and around the world, including Cambodia, India, Rwanda, Namibia, Lebanon, Ukraine, and other regions depending on the projects it supports.
Every action responds to a specific need.
Every partnership is built on trust.
Every project is followed over time.
Governance
The Women and Men Behind the Foundation
Operating under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the Valérie Messika Foundation is governed by a Strategic Committee, an Advisory Committee, and a dedicated team responsible for guiding its development and long-term vision. A clear and committed governance structure ensures the consistency, transparency, and sustainability of the Foundation’s actions.
Strategic Committee
The Strategic Committee defines the Foundation’s priorities, reviews proposed initiatives, approves partnerships and funding decisions, and monitors the progress of its commitments over time.
It brings together complementary expertise, including Foundation representation, CSR knowledge, philanthropic experience, and insight into on-the-ground realities. When relevant, external specialists may also contribute to its work. Its role is to ensure that every decision remains fully aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values.
The Committee is composed of eight members, including two independent experts: Ophélie Meunier and Arnaud Gallais.
I have learned that behind every situation, there is almost always someone working quietly, patiently, and tirelessly to make a difference.
I joined the Valérie Messika Foundation because I wanted to help give those individuals the means to go further. Supporting does not mean replacing those who act on the ground. It means choosing initiatives rooted in real needs, measuring their impact, and ensuring that commitment never remains just an intention. To me, the strength of a foundation lies in that connection between those who take action and those who support them.
Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee brings together experienced professionals, including Jean-Baptiste Sassine, Chief Executive Officer, and Antoine Trémoulinas, Chief Production Officer, whose insights and expertise help inform and strengthen the Foundation’s decisions.
Fondation Valérie Messika Team
The Valérie Messika Foundation takes a focused and selective approach. Its ambition is not to support as many projects as possible, but to support the right ones: initiatives with a clear purpose, clearly identified beneficiaries, measurable impact, and strong alignment with the
Project Selection
The Valérie Messika Foundation takes a selective approach. Rather than seeking to support as many initiatives as possible, it focuses on projects with clearly defined objectives, identified beneficiaries, measurable impact, and missions aligned with its key priorities. Each project is carefully assessed against a set of criteria.
- Alignment with the Foundation’s areas of action
- Strong local presence and understanding of needs
- Clear identification of beneficiaries
- Tangible value and relevance of the support provided
- Capacity for monitoring and evaluation
- Strength and credibility of the partner organization
- Potential for long-term commitment
- Opportunities for meaningful involvement of Messika teams
This approach helps preserve the Foundation’s coherence, avoid fragmentation, and maximise the impact of every commitment.
Monitoring & Impact
Impact cannot be reduced to a number. Yet it must be measurable. The Foundation monitors the initiatives it supports through regular dialogue with partners, narrative and financial reporting, programme-specific indicators, and, whenever possible, field visits. This ongoing assessment helps identify what is working, what can be improved, and where meaningful change is taking place.
Examples of impact indicators:
- Number of children enrolled, re-enrolled, or supported
- Number of meals distributed
- Number of workshops delivered
Protecting through the way we act
The Foundation works alongside vulnerable populations. This responsibility requires a rigorous framework. The protection of children, respect for privacy, safeguarding image rights, validation of testimonials, prevention of conflicts of interest, and careful oversight of partnerships are integral to its governance. Ethics are not an addition to the Foundation’s work. They are the foundation of its legitimacy and a condition of its impact.
COMMIT THE MAISON
Bringing the Foundation to Life Within the Maison
The Valérie Messika Foundation is not intended to remain at a distance from the people who make the House what it is. Its ambition is to create a living connection between the organisations it supports, the people they serve, and the Messika teams. This connection can take many forms: workshops, talks, personal testimonies, charity runs, exchanges with students, field visits, or skills-based volunteering initiatives when appropriate.
The objective is not to multiply internal initiatives.
It is to make commitment more tangible. More meaningful. More widely shared.
A Foundation also thrives through those who understand its purpose and choose to contribute to it
Ways for Employees to Get Involved
Engagement within the House can take many forms, each designed to create meaningful and accessible experiences.
These initiatives will be developed progressively, with a constant focus on consistency, impact, and the ability to inspire long-term participation.
Annual moments of engagement
Two key moments to build a collective commitment
The Foundation structures its employee engagement around two annual milestones, designed as opportunities to learn, connect and take action.
Child Protection Awareness Week
A dedicated week focused on raising awareness of the challenges surrounding child protection.
This initiative provides an opportunity to hear directly from partner organisations, benefit from the expertise of committed professionals, and engage teams through concrete and accessible experiences.
Week for Children, Youth and Girls’ Rights
To mark the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October, the Foundation dedicates a week to education, empowerment and the protection of young people.
Workshops, talks, personal testimonies and immersive content help create a meaningful experience designed to deepen understanding, encourage dialogue, and inspire a more personal and active form of engagement.