Educateurs sans Frontières, also known as EsF, was originally conceived by Maria Montessori in 1917 during World War 1 as the 'White Cross' (an educational equivalent of the Red Cross).[11] It was legally constituted by her granddaughter, Renilde Montessori, as 'Educateurs sans Frontiéres' and as a subsidiary of AMI, whilst Renilde was AMI General Secretary. EsF maintains active initiatives in extreme circumstances in an expanding number of countries.