Mission Bambini was founded in Milan in 2000. Since then, we have grown alongside our programs, partners and communities, expanding our commitment to children’s health and education in Italy and around the world.
Over more than 25 years, the challenges, programs and ways we work have evolved, but one commitment has remained the same: creating real opportunities for children to grow and build their future.
Mission Bambini was founded in Milan on January 18, 2000, by Goffredo Modena and his family, originally under the name aiutare i bambini (“to help children”). From the beginning, its purpose was to support children facing poverty, illness, exclusion and limited access to education.
The Foundation’s first project was an early childhood center in Brazil serving 100 children. In the years that followed, Mission Bambini began developing long-term ways to support education programs abroad, laying the foundations for what would become a growing international commitment to children’s health and education.
Mission Bambini launched Cuore di bimbi (Children’s Heart) with a clear goal: to give children with serious heart conditions access to lifesaving care in countries where specialized treatment is limited or unavailable.
The program combines pediatric heart surgery and screening with support for local hospitals and training for health care professionals, helping local medical teams become increasingly independent over time.
Since 2005, 2,897 children have received heart surgery, more than 38,000 medical examinations have been provided and 708 local doctors have been trained.
Mission Bambini began developing education programs in Italy, with an initial focus on early childhood and access to quality educational services.
Over the years, the Foundation helped launch and strengthen more than 100 early childhood centers and play spaces across the country.
This work gradually evolved into a broader commitment to children and families, creating educational opportunities from the earliest years of life and helping reduce inequalities that can affect a child’s development from the very beginning.
Following the earthquake in L’Aquila, Mission Bambini expanded its work to support children and communities affected by emergencies, funding a youth community center and a health care facility in the area.
In the years that followed, the Foundation responded to other major crises, including the earthquake in Haiti, earthquakes in Central Italy and, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic. Each response focused on the needs of children and families, from essential supplies and health support to education and opportunities for growth.
Mission Bambini celebrates 10 years of activity: more than 650,000 children helped through more than 670 projects in 67 countries, including Italy.
In 2014, aiutare i bambini became Mission Bambini. The new name and visual identity reflected the organization’s evolution and its commitment not only to protecting children, but also to helping them grow, develop their potential and pursue their future.
A year later, Mission Bambini strengthened its international presence with the establishment of Mission Bambini Switzerland in Lugano and Friends of Mission Bambini in the United States. Mission Bambini Switzerland remains a recognized Swiss foundation today.
Mission Bambini celebrated its 20th anniversary having supported more than 1.4 million children through 1,700 projects in 75 countries.
The same year, the COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges for children and families. Mission Bambini adapted its work to respond to increasing educational, social and economic needs, supporting families during lockdowns and strengthening its education programs at a time when many children were at greater risk of being left behind.
Mission Bambini launched Scintilla, bringing together early childhood centers in Milan, Naples, Bari and Catania under the name Stelle Mission Bambini. This marked an important step toward a more integrated education model in Italy: a network rooted in local communities and designed to provide children with continuous support from early childhood through adolescence.
Today, Stelle Mission Bambini works to prevent educational poverty, early school leaving and school dropout while also supporting families and local educational communities.
Building on the experience of Children’s Heart, Mission Bambini launched Casa Cuore di bimbi (Children’s Heart Home), a new project designed for families whose children need heart surgery or treatment in Milan.
Located within Niguarda Hospital, the home was created to give families coming from other parts of Italy or from abroad a welcoming place to stay close to their children during hospitalization and treatment. In November 2024, Mission Bambini signed an agreement with Niguarda Hospital to bring the project to life.
Mission Bambini celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter century of work alongside children in Italy and around the world.
During the year, the Foundation reached 16,413 children and young people through 75 projects in 19 countries. Children’s Heart provided lifesaving care and strengthened local medical expertise, Stelle Mission Bambini expanded its education work across Italy, and the foundations were laid for a new international education network. Stefano Oltolini also took on the role of General Director.
Mission Bambini launched LEARN, an international network bringing together 15 organizations across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Built on long-term partnerships with local organizations, LEARN aims to expand access to quality education for children and young people, including in communities affected by poverty, emergencies and other barriers to learning.
At the same time, Mission Bambini continued to strengthen Stelle Mission Bambini in Italy, consolidating education as one of the Foundation’s two core areas of work.
