The ESF Italy association was constituted legally on 24th June 2015 on the model of the French non-governmental organisation (NGO) Electriciens sans frontières, with which it collaborates closely.

Electriciens sans frontières was set up in France in 1986, stemming from an idea of some EDF (Electricite de France) employees and later acquired the status of NGO, to make its skills available in the service of international solidarity projects aimed at access to electricity and water.

The ESF association, formed mainly by employee and retired volunteers from companies of the electrical sector, represents an important novelty for civil volunteering, especially as a function of the specialist professional skills who will work on the world level, mainly at the request of NGO and humanitarian associations.