Since 1998, forging ties across borders

BATIK International acts for a fairer and more united world

In 1998, Isabelle Devaux and Catherine Mechkour Di Maria founded BATIK International based on a conviction: that the legacies of migration and the bonds between peoples are a collective strength, capable of combating isolation and exclusion.

From its very inception, the association has worked with diasporas to promote social and professional integration and to foster equitable exchanges between France and countries of emigration. This principle of horizontal partnerships remains, even today, at the heart of its mission.

Batik is a fabric with floral patterns, created using a printing technique found in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It symbolizes the bonds forged between people from from Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean—the founding inspiration behind our name and our way of doing business.

For over 25 years, in France and internationally, BATIK International has been working alongside its partners against social, economic, and gender inequalities. Her belief: everyone must be able to exercise their rights and assert their power to act, both individually and collectively.

Because gender equality and empowerment are essential to building a more just world, we make gender issues a guiding principle in all our actions.

Governance and Team

Governance

BATIK International is an association under the French law of 1901, with a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. Every year, we hold a General Assembly where all members meet to decide on the association's main directions. It is also a time for taking stock of the year, through three reports —moral, activities and financial — which are presented and voted on. At this meeting, members also read the report of the President and the Board of Directors, who are responsible for ensuring that decisions taken are implemented. The Board then elects an Executive Committee (Treasurer, Secretary and President), which oversees the day-to-day running of the association.

Board of Directors and Executive Committee

Team

Our teams are based in Paris and Hanoi. We work hand in hand with our local partners to design and implement projects that respond to needs identified on the ground. We also manage relations with our financial partners and ensure the future development of our actions. Thanks to the experience we have acquired and the practices we have put in place over the years, we also act as a resource center: we share our know-how with our partners and other organizations, notably through training courses, technical contributions, exchanges of experience and the dissemination of useful tools.

The teams

Key figures

Origin of resources

BATIK International works with grants mainly from:

the French government (Agence française de développement, ministère des affaires étrangères et du développement international, ministère des affaires sociales, etc.)
local authorities (Ile-de-France, Direction Départementale de Seine-Saint-Denis, Ville de Paris)
private funds from foundations and companies.

Each year, the accounts are certified by an external auditor.