- Founded in Italy in 1945 by Luigi Monza, a priest of the Ambrosian Church, and a group of young women, the association was established to promote the universal values of the Gospel through concrete action—social works and initiatives—that could transform society into a "community of solidarity."
- Recognized as a nonprofit organization by Presidential Decree no. 765 on June 19, 1958.
- From its inception, it has devoted itself to the suffering and hardship of people living with physical, intellectual, or sensory disabilities. Its mission is to safeguard human dignity and improve quality of life—chiefly through rehabilitation—for people with disabilities, especially children and adolescents, and their families. It addresses not only the disability itself but the personal and family suffering that accompanies it.
- In Italy, the association has established diagnostic services, rehabilitation centers, vocational training and retraining centers, programs for social and employment integration, group homes, and residential facilities. It has also given special attention to the scientific and technical training of staff through schools for healthcare workers, social-care professionals, educators, and social workers, and to advancing research through the E. Medea Institute for Research, Care, and Scientific Study. This institute received official recognition from the relevant Italian government ministries on November 16, 1985, in the fields of child and adolescent neuropsychiatry and functional and psychosocial rehabilitation for disabling conditions of childhood and youth.
- La Nostra Famiglia operates in eight Italian regions with thirty-six centers and services. It has also helped establish entities, groups, and associations inspired by its values and approach in five countries around the world.
- The association serves approximately fifteen thousand people each year. It employs about twenty-five hundred staff members—seventeen hundred as direct employees or consultants, the remainder employed by other agencies (the state or local authorities).
- La Nostra Famiglia promotes social initiatives in the regions where it operates through volunteer commitment. These include the "Gruppo Amici di don Luigi Monza," the "Orizzonti Sereni" Foundation, and "OVCI La Nostra Famiglia," a volunteer organization for international cooperation that designs and manages development projects. Beyond Italy and Switzerland, La Nostra Famiglia is present in Sudan, Brazil, and Ecuador.
From "L'agenda del Centenario" - La Nostra Famiglia 1997. Pages 82-91