In November 2001, faced with the desperate health situation in Afghanistan where one child in four fails to reach the age of five- La Chaîne de l'Espoir, launched its Enfants Afghans programme, designed to bring sustainable, practical help to Afghanistan by building a hospital worthy of the name. The Mother and Child Hospital, which will now be known as the French Medical Institute for Children, is now up and running.It was inaugurated on 8 April 2006 by Bernadette Chirac, the President Hamid Karzaï, His Highness the Aga Khan and Philippe Douste-Blazy, French Minister of Foreign Affairs