Projects
Terre des Hommes Switzerland supports nearly 70 development projects managed by local partners in 11 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. These projects fall into three fields of action:
- Furthering Children's Rights and denouncing serious violations
- Encouraging access to appropriate and quality education
- Strengthening sustainable development in rural and urban areas
In the field, priority is given to community development. This is so that local populations can improve their organisational skills, enabling them to better claim their rights and reinforce civil society. These measures encouraging solidarity within groups and communities represent the best way of ensuring the long term financial and technical independence of the projects.
The Projects – How do we select them?
We have chosen to support programmes in a limited number of countries, to better familiarise ourselves with the social and economic realities there, to network with various partners and thus limit the number of field missions. The decision to accept a Project is made by the Committee. The following are examples of selected programmes:
- Support to nursery schools in poor neighbourhoods or slum areas.
- Education and apprenticeship programmes to allow reinsertion of street children
- Vocational training for child workers
- Assistance to farming communities to prevent rural exodus
- Food aid to Day Nurseries, plus preventive measures against malnutrition
The economic exploitation of children and assistance to women receive special attention.
The projects – How do we manage them?
Within regional groups (Latin America, Africa, Asia) each Terre des Hommes Switzerland project is managed by a volunteer worker seconded by a salaried employee. In each country a local coordinator collaborates with TdH. A field visit by the person responsible for the project is foreseen every 2 years.
