Our organisation
Terre des Hommes has been fighting child exploitation since 1966. Get to know our organisation, volunteers and ambassador. See who we are.
Active against child exploitation for over half a century.
Terre des Hommes Nederland has been fighting against child exploitation for 60 years. Worldwide. From deep in Asia to the Middle East and Africa, we stand up for the rights of the child.
The name Terre des Hommes means people of the earth. It comes from the book of the same name by the Frenchman Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, pilot of a mail plane and writer in WWII.
Through his work he saw a lot of the world and came to the conclusion: "there is no third world. There is one world and we are all responsible for it".
It was with this in mind that the French journalist and pharmacist Edmond Kaiser founded Terre des Hommes in Lausanne. "Because every child has the chance to develop great talents, if it's well taken care of."
In 1966 we started our programmes in East Africa from the Netherlands. We have also been active in Asia and the Middle East for many years. We now work in 18 countries. We help vulnerable children. We never look at faith, skin colour, gender or culture.
Our strategy
More information about our strategy can be found here
Our people
Stefanie Verhoeven
"With every item I sell in the store, I can help children out of exploitative situations and give the items a second life, that's fantastic, isn't it?!"
Chankanha LOK
"Terre des Hommes is where I started to discover my potential, with those potential I believe I can help children to discover their rights and fight for their rights."
Thangam Ponpandian
"With this unique program we uncover serious problems such as domestic violence, early school leaving, forced sex, health and reproductive issues, hard work and social isolation. But not only do we make the dangers of child marriages visible, we also offer concrete help".
United in one federation
Terre des Hommes Netherlands is a member of a network of eight national organisations working closely together. This Terre des Hommes International Federation consists of Terre des Hommes organisations in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. There is also the Terre des Hommes Foundation.
Terre des Hommes was founded by Edmond Kaiser in 1960. At that time, war in Algeria meant that many children there received no help. Terre des Hommes started with providing medical care for children with tuberculosis.
In 1966, Terre des Hommes groups from France, Germany and the Netherlands came together. Joining forces, they became the Terre des Hommes International Federation.
In this federation, each organisation develops programmes and fundraises in its own country. Yet, we always compare shared findings and ensure we do not duplicate work. Join our fight. Stop child exploitation.
Our ambassador
Terre des Hommes ambassadors are committed to fighting child exploitation. The celebrity spotlight they selflessly share calls the public’s attention to our cause. For their enthusiastic support, we thank our current and former ambassadors very much.
Supervision
The Supervisory Board supervises the management and the general course within the organisation. The Board determines the main lines of Terre des Hommes' policy, supervises its implementation, acts as a sounding board and provides advice.
Quality Standards
We attach great importance to the quality of all our activities and operations, as well as to having our performance assessed. Foundation Terre des Hommes Netherlands has the following memberships and recognition of adherence to the following standards:
ANBI - Terre des Hommes NL has been designated by the Tax Authorities as a Public Benefit Institution (ANBI) since 2013. This means that Terre des Hommes does not have to pay tax on our (periodic and incidental) gifts and inheritances received.
CBF - Terre des Hommes NL has had the CBF seal of approval since 1997. It is a recognition of charities by CBF, the Dutch Fundraising Regulator. Organisations recognised by the CBF have shown that they comply with strict quality requirements.
ISO & ISO-Partos - Terre des Hommes NL has been certified in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 Standard since 2004. ISO 9001 is an international quality standard that helps organisations ensure they meet customers and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. Terre des Hommes NL is also certified to the PARTOS ISO 9001:2015 version 2018. This is a sector specific (international cooperation) application of the ISO 9001 Standard with additional requirements with regards to integrity.
CHS - The Core Humanitarian Standard is the standard on Quality and Accountability in the humanitarian and development sector. Terre des Hommes NL is externally verified to the CHS since 2023. This is a requirement to receive funding from the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA).
ECHO FPA - EU Humanitarian Partnership 2021-2027, which means that Terre des Hommes NL is eligible and suitable to be awarded EU funding for the implementation of humanitarian aid.
Our annual report
We think it's important to let you know what happens to donations. Through films, photos and written words, our annual report shows what we have achieved all year in the fight against child exploitation.