Madame de Fougeret
Quick Facts
Biography
Anne-Françoise de Fougeret born Anne-Françoise Outremont (1745–1813), was a French philanthropist.She founded one of the first secular women's charity organizations in France, the Société de Charité Maternelle for the support of poor women and children, in 1788, and was its first president under the protection of queen Marie Antoinette.
She was involved in French society and with finding wet nurses for abandoned children using older women from her husband's estates. The children were fed goat's and cow's milk but three-quarters of them died. She realised that the solution was to help the mothers before they abandoned their children so that they could feed and nurture them.
During the revolution, her husband was guillotined. In 1801 "her" organisation was revived and although she was a member she was not involved. Her daughters were and it was regretted that she was not more strongly acknowledged when the organisation came under the Napoleonic administration.