Project work : for and with children

Projects are developed in close collaboration with the beneficiaries who are the primary participants in their own development. Terre des Hommes acts directly or works with 734 local and national civil society organisations. Assistance in their institutional development is a key element of this collaboration. Terre des Hommes enables children to participate in the life of their community and in decisions affecting them.

The added value brought by Terre des Hommes consists of financial, technical and methodological support. The projects are of average size, scheduled for a defined period of time and adhere to the following criteria :

create effective improvement in the life perspectives of the children

are based on concepts of economic and social justice

address the needs of the underprivileged and are gender balanced

aim to provide lasting solutions and in-depth changes

bring about a multiplier effect

develop civil society through the empowerment of local communities

are implemented in full transparency on the basis of proven methodology and are subjected to constant monitoring and evaluation

conform to the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

With regards to humanitarian aid projects, they are designed to help in rebuilding basic social infrastructure both during and after conflicts or natural disasters.

Highlights

Projects:

in Africa

- Burkina Faso: Long-term Support for Child Domestics

In Burkina Faso, more than 50% of children work. To prevent child labour in poor families, Terre des Hommes (Switzerland) encourages women, who are the main breadwinners, to generate new and complementary incomes.
Domestic work is the most common activity for girls. Employed very young, they do not have any chance for an education. Hidden within the residence walls, they often become victims of psychological, physical or sexual violence. Terre des Hommes supports girls in domestic service through a long-term programme, set up with the aim of changing the social attitudes of employers, parents and the girls themselves. The Cobufade project began a study in 2006, in order to acquire better knowledge of the extent of domestic service and its associated risks in two urban districts of the capital. Results show that two thirds of families have had a domestic employee and that 21% of the girls are not registered, do not have a birth certificate and therefore cannot claim their rights; 77% of them came from rural areas, with a low level of education (5 years average).

in Asia

- South Asia: Micro-credit – A Chance in Life

In South Asia, Terre des Hommes (Netherlands) is active in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, and supports 62 project partners. Over the last few decades, micro-credit has proved an effective weapon in the fight against poverty. Terre des Hommes runs programmes that set up credit and saving groups, so that young adults and families can have the opportunity to start their own business or other income-generating activities. Terre des Hommes aims at turning its micro-credit projects into self-supporting programmes in the future. In 2006, almost 20’000 loans were granted and 19’000 people were able to find jobs.

- Indonesia: An Unconventional School

Terre des Hommes (Germany) has helped to set up an unconventional school where very little is reminiscent of a normal class. The classroom is a small airy barrack under a large tree in the middle of Bukit Duabelas National Park on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The children belong to the Orang Rimba tribe. They call themselves the forest people. The 60’000 hectares of rain forest in the province of Jambi has always been their homeland.
Although the region was declared a national park a few years ago, the living space of the Orang Rimba is being threatened by settlers and oil-palm plantations. The founder of the Sokola initiative is a wildlife protector who came to the people of the rain forest a few years ago, and learnt their language and culture. The organisation Sokola, working with Terre des Hommes (Germany), was established in 2003 to help the natives defend their forests. In the meantime other schools have been started. The lessons not only include reading, writing and arithmetic, but also the culture, language, handicrafts and traditions of the Orang Rimba. First signs of success have already been seen since the founding of the organisation. The problems of the Orang Rimba have been topics in the Indonesian and other Asian media many times. Lawyers have dedicated themselves to the interests of the rain forest natives, and illegal deforestation has become the subject of public reports. Sokola is being supported by an increasing number of volunteers.

in Central and Latin America

- Colombia: Caring for Young Victims of Torture

In the capital city of Colombia, Terre des Hommes (Italy) works with the Centro de Apoyo psicosocial a las victimas de tortura, the only institute of its kind in the country. The centre welcomes men, women and children, and even whole families from the areas most exposed to conflict, who have suffered psychological or physical torture. Individual cases are usually directed to the centre by a network of Colombian NGOs active in the protection of human rights, which filter and select the most urgent cases.
The centre’s staff use an holistic methodology, that simultaneously promotes the psychological as well as the physical well-being of torture victims, favouring a return to balance over time. The chosen therapies, such as floral essences, bioenergetics and acupuncture, are all non-invasive. The project, financed by the European Commission and the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, is implemented with the support of the local NGO, Minga, which is active in the legal assistance of torture victims. The project aims at reinforcing and expanding support for torture victims within the country.

in Middle East

- Afghanistan: Simple and Effective Measures

One of the three innovative projects set up by the Terre des Hommes (Foundation-Lausanne, Switzerland) in Afghanistan in 2006, is the extension of its mother-child health project in Kabul to the mountainous northern regions in the Takhar district, near the town of Rustaq. In the same region, the second project concerns education and training for young people. Thanks to the Terre des Hommes (Foundation-Lausanne, Switzerland) it was possible to re-open schools where children and young people can receive basic education and training for a job, especially during the long winter. The third project is a programme for which Terre des Hommes (Foundation-Lausanne, Switzerland) was mandated by the Swiss Cooperation for a ten-year period; it includes a series of trade projects set up through the village committees in remote places. The aim is to provide to the poorest families the means to improve their lives and increase their small income by simple activities that do not require too much investment, such as pistachio cultivation, honey production, etc. These products are then sold in the local markets.