International celebration of the 400th founding of the Confraternity of Charities (AIC) and the beginning of the Vincentian charism is held in France and around the world. Today the International Association of Charities of St. Vincent de Paul (AIC) is a source of information and guidance for the Ladies of Charity of the United States of America ® (LCUSA) and represents their membership on the international level as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) at ECOSOC, UNESCO, Council of Europe and the United Nations. AIC is active in 52 countries with over 200,000 local women working together against poverty… the oldest continuous lay volunteer organization in the world.