What is an Alliance Française?
The mission of the Fondation des Alliances Françaises is to regulate, lead and coordinate the worldwide network of Alliances Françaises, which was created in 1883 and is now the world's leading cultural NGO.
The Alliance Française was the earliest organization to teach French around the world. Its first board members include famous scientist Louis Pasteur and world-renowned writer Jules Verne. It is a local non-stock, non-profit organization associated with Fondation Alliance that was established in Paris, more than 120 years ago, in 1883.
Soon after its foundation, its network expanded to other parts of the world. It currently the holds the world’s largest collection of associations that teach French. In fact, there are more than 1,000 Alliance Française centers worldwide now. It is closely working with the French Foreign Affairs Department, specifically with the French Embassy.
Before having an Alliance Francaise here in the Philippines, a group of French and Filipinos formed the les Amis de la France to provide a venue to learn the French language and culture, as well as develop interaction between the two cultures.
Alliance Francaise was established by Michel Lhuillier upon the request of the French Embassy. It was inaugurated in November 2007, by French Ambassador SEM Girard Chesnel. It is the only official European cultural office of Cebu and of the Visayas, and the official French cultural center. Lhuillier remains to be the main sponsor of the institute.