Humanitarian action
Armed conflict and natural disasters disproportionately affect children, often with long lasting effects. Many children are forced to flee their homes, get separated from their parents and/or caregivers, have to leave school, live in poverty, are traumatized and/or cut from accessing basic needs such as food, water, sanitation, shelter, and health care. Many children are exposed to trafficking and exploitation and early and forced marriage. To help in these situations, Terre des Hommes provides care and protection to children and their families in emergencies.
Carla Lovato
Humanitarian Aid Coordinator
Latest news
Child Protection Assessment Report
The Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya consists of three camps namely Dagahaley, Hagadera and Ifo. The first camp…
Rising above the storm
16-year-old Yasmin, her parents and five siblings live in a temporary makeshift dwelling in Kenya´s Dadaab Ref…
Project field visit in Dadaab, Kenya
Terre des Hommes Netherlands team conducted a field visit in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya and had an amazing o…
Annual report 2020
Without a doubt 2020 is the year of the corona pandemic. And yet there is much to be proud of!
Awareness blossomes during psychosocial support sessions
Lina is one of the most enthusiastic children who is taking part in the Psychosocial Support sessions impleme…
Belem Azéta temporarily at home in Burkina Faso
Belem Azéta is 24 years old and lives with her 3 children temporarily in Burkina Faso due to the conflicts in…
4 months after the blast: How Beirut children are recovering from the explosion
The multiple crisis of Lebanon is affecting the most vulnerable children. TdH activities doesn't stop after th…
A better life for Amin
Syria has been struggling with war for eight years, and for six years Terre des Hommes, through our sister org…
Annual Report 2019
Together we make the difference. A fitting title for our annual report 2019. We are proud of the results we re…
Annual report 2018
Thanks to your support, in 2018 we were able to work on tackling child labor in the mica mines in India, child…
Background
The cause of emergency situations for which Terre des Hommes offers humanitarian aid usually concern natural disasters, such as the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, or acts of war as in the Middle East, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. However, medical emergencies may also constitute grounds for action, such as the impact of Covid-19. During times of crisis, Terre des Hommes works quickly to provide life-saving assistance to children and their families.
Even in the chaos of a crisis, our humanitarian action prevents the exploitation of children.
Goals
In humanitarian crises many children get separated from their family, are displaced, have to leave school, live in increasing poverty, get extremely traumatized and do not have access to - amongst other things - basic necessities such as food, water and medical care.
Often people make use of the chaotic environment and the high vulnerability of children as a result of a disaster to engage children in criminal activities, such as forced labour, sexual exploitation or early marriage.
Protecting these children - affected by natural (earthquakes, tsunamis) or man made disasters (armed conflicts, climate change) - from all forms of exploitation is our number one priority. We fight child exploitation even in the midst of chaos. Join our fight. Help us ensure our humanitarian action comes in time for the next crisis.
What we do
In humanitarian crises, family, community and governmental child protection systems (i.e. relatives, community members, processes, laws, behaviors and institutions that normally protect children) often become weakened or ineffective, which results in a protection vacuum for children that increases their vulnerability to all forms of exploitation.
Terre des Hommes offers child friendly spaces where children can play, express and process their traumas under professional guidance and in a safe environment. The children learn about children’s rights, as well as practical issues such as hygiene. Psychosocial support is always available. If necessary, children and their parents are referred to professional psychological treatment. Terre des Hommes also provides information to parents and caregivers regarding children’s rights or issues such as nutrition and hygiene.
Depending on the situation, the first priority may be to provide children a safe haven by for example (re)building schools, or (re)building wells or medical dispensaries.
Stronger together
Working with other organisations is crucial in an emergency. Cooperation helps us deploy our emergency aid as quickly as possible. Often these partners are local organisations that know their communities well.
In the Netherlands, we work with partners through the Dutch Relief Alliance and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). We also participate in joint-appeals with the humanitarian foundation Giro555. We share knowledge and resources within our Terre des Hommes International Federation. In times of need, we stand stronger together. Join our fight.
Medical crises, wars, natural disasters… we provide children emergency aid and protection worldwide.
It is the vision of TdH that children must be seen, heard and respected as important actors of change in their lives and the life of their families and communities, also in emergency situations. In 2020, we implemented or supported emergency projects in countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Bangladesh.
Our activities focused on setting up child friendly spaces, providing psychosocial support to children and their families, rasing awareness and capacity building on child rights among parents and local authorities. We also provided physical rehabilitation to people with disabilities, distributed food vouchers and strengthened water, sanitation and health services to those most in need.
