The F.I.M.S. (Fédération Internationale Marionnette pour la Santé) was founded in 2007 in Cervia (Italy), thanks to the initiative of Madeline Lions, the president of the Puppets and Therapy association.

F.I.M.S. is an international non-governmental organization gathering associations from all over the world. This wide variety aims to ensure the development of the use of puppets as a therapeutic means to enhance the integration of physically and mentally challenged persons by reducing the effects of their handicap and all other aspects of their exclusion. Puppets serve as a mediation device for the purpose of advocating human values including peace and mutual understanding, as well as better dialogue and understanding among people, regardless of their race, religious convictions and ideological beliefs.

This diversity of cultures is conformed to the respect of the fundamental human rights, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations on December 10, 1948. Thus, every association remains autonomous with regards to the laws, customs and needs of its natal country.

KHAYAL is one of the founding associations of the F.I.M.S. and Karim Dakroub is currently the vice president, in charge particularly of the relations with the Middle East and Africa.

Other members include: 

Argentina

-Gabriela Pisano, Buenos Aires

Belgium

-“Ombres et Lumière” Association (Marie-Dominique Delcourt), Petite Chapelle
-Julie Pélicand, Bruxelles

Brasil

-“Marionete e Saúde - Brasil” Association (Elisabete Gil Bolfer), Curitiba 
-Eveline Carrano Porto, Rio de Janeiro

Bulgaria

-“Association Marionnette et Thérapie – Bulgarie” (Vera Stoikova, State Puppet Theatre), Varna

Canada

-ÉNAM (École Nationale des Arts par la Marionnette, Richard Bouchard), Chicoutimi / Saguenay (Québec)
-Aglika Ivantcheva, New Westminster BC

Spain

-"Marioneta y Terapia" Association (Silvia Bierkens), Barcelona 

-Teia Moner, Barcelona

-"Centro de Documentación de Títeres" (Concha De La Casa), Bilbao 
-"Centro de Iniciativas de Tolosa", Tolosa - 

Italy

-"Burattini e Salute" Association (Corrado Vecchi), Parma 
-"Arrivano dal Mare !" (Stefano Giunchi), Cervia 
-Mariano Dolci, Pisa 

Japan

-Japanese Puppet and Therapy Association (Maki Kohda), Tokyo
-Yoshihide Takaesu, Okinawa
-Minami Toshiba, Nagoya

Switzerland

-Association MEET Suisse Romande "Marionnettes Expression Echange Thérapie" (Françoise ARNOLDI-DESSIEX), Saubraz

Togo
-Joseph Agbolo, Lomé
-Adama Bacco, Lomé
-Vicky Tsikplonou, Lomé

Tunisia
-Habiba Jendoubi, Tunis
-“Festival du Théâtre pour Enfants de Neapolis” (Hamadi DIMASSI), Nabeul

The objective of the F.I.M.S. is to promote and spread the use of puppets for therapeutic use and to define its main utility in order to satisfy the specific needs of every concerned association. 

True to achieving its objectives, the F.I.M.S. is engaged in extremely diverse fields of action and implementation, including:

-Educing all the possible aspects and forms of communication contacts and exchanges among the teachers, assistants and puppeteers of all nations and continents

-Organizing encounters, conferences, festivals, exhibitions and contests, or providing the official support

-Encouraging the professional formative discipline and education to represent all forms of integration

-Deepening the historic, scientific and theoretic research ????

-Preserving tradition with an emphasis on the rebirth of puppet art; also by advancing activities realized by persons that are mentally or physically challenged (children and adults)

-Suggesting the use of puppets as an effective means for education and learning

-Participating in activities related to international organizations that share the same interests and goals