WHAT IS BIF?

BIF is a European Confederation of National Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who each work to support the brain injured and their families.

WHY WAS BIF CREATED?

On the 17th and 18th March 1998, seven National NGOs were brought together for the first time in Paris at the French Association’s initiative.  Each NGO had a common aim – to promote the interests of people with a brain injury and improve the assistance given to them as well as their families.

They recognised that the real interests of the families and brain injured individuals would be best expressed by those experiencing it.  Therefore each NGO was represented by an individual or family member of a person who had suffered a brain injury.

The seven National NGOs wanted to form a European Confederation to establish between them a concrete bond of friendship and solidarity through which they would share their experiences and achievements in aiding those with a brain injury.  Newer National NGOs who joined could take advantage of the achievements of older associations, to further improve the resources on brain injury that they could offer their home country.

Through BIF, the National NGOs could also unite and speak as one voice.  They realised that by working collectively, they could successfully increase recognition of brain injury on a national as well as European level, establish and educate others regarding the specifics of acquired brain injury, as well as encourage support worldwide.

BIF HISTORY & FACTS

• BIF was created on April 11, 1999 in Brussels by the 7 founding Associations brought together in the General Assembly : Headway-UK (The United Kingdom), U.N.A.F.T.C. (France), D.B.I.A. (Denmark), Le Noyau (Belgium), FEDACE (Spain), Coordinamento Nazionale Associazioni Trauma Cranico (Italy) and FRAGILE (Switzerland).
• BIF became a non-profit-making International Association (A.I.S.B.L) according to the Belgian law, on the 2nd March 2000 with the publication of its Statutes in the Moniteur Belge, where it is identified under N° 5410/2000. Its new Statutes, put into conformity with the new Belgian law, are in the Appendices of the Moniteur Belge, dated 4th May 2006.  BIF is  identified there under the number 5410/2000.
• At its General Assembly on 2nd June 2000 in Brussels, BIF became a full member of the European Disability Forum (E.D.F.).  It is now an NGO (a European Non-Governmental Organization) and represents the Associations of Families of which one of the members suffers a brain injury within E.D.F.
• At the E.D.F. General Assembly held on June 9 2001, Mrs Rita REES, President of BIF, was elected for 4 years as a member of the Board of directors of the Forum, and in May 2005 Niels-Anton SVENDSEN, was elected member of the Board for the new mandate (2005-2009) and re-elected in 2009 for the mandate (2009-2013).  Vera BONVALOT then succeeded Niels-Anton since 2014.
• To read more about the founder, Admiral Jean PICART, please click on the following link.