Dear All,

My name is Dominique Tchimbakala, I am the president of the Union-ALFM, the Association of the Alumni from French schools in the World and a former student of the Saint-Exupéry High School in Brazzaville, Congo. On behalf of all the administrators, I would like to tell you how happy we are to have you with us and introduce you the association.

Until 8 years ago, there were only local alumni associations close to a school.

Since 2010, ALFM (now Union-ALFM) has been involved in building a global network of alumni:

- A network built around the values of tolerance, humanism and solidarity;

- A network of members driven by the desire to meet others in a spirit of goodwill;

- A network in which local associations will take their full place, this is the meaning of our new name: "Union-ALFM".

Regularly, the existence and the richness of this network take shape during the FOMA (World Forum of Alumni), organized thanks to the support of the AEFE, the Agency for French Education Abroad. This was the case in Paris (2009), Casablanca (2011), Vienna (2013) and Lisbon (2017). More than 200 people gathered for this last FOMA. The first FONA (National Alumni Forum) of French high schools in Germany took place on November 24 in Berlin. This is also the case for smaller events: picnics, happy hour, welcoming alumni at the beginning of the academic year. All these meetings allow us to create bonds across borders.

Eventually, we want to develop a structured community, capable of providing material and moral support to our alumni. We also aim to connect our alumni no matter where they are located. A network capable of facilitating the development of personal and business relationships between its members. Finally, we want a "Union-ALFM" that is strong enough to carry the voice and the requirements of the French educational model.

This project is exciting and ambitious!

We will only be able to make it live thanks to your presence, your support, by drawing our strength from this unclassifiable identity that results as much from the diversity of our backgrounds as from the language and culture we have in common.