Who are we ?

Terre des Hommes Suisse is an independent non-governmental organisation, recognised as a public utility, with its headquarters in Geneva. For almost 60 years, Terre des Hommes Suisse has been committed to children and a solidarity-based development. We work in partnership with local organisations in 10 countries to defend children’s rights.

We work on a daily basis to ensure that children have access to quality, context-appropriate education, are protected from all forms of violence and are empowered to participate fully in decisions that affect them.

Mission and values

Our vision is that of a supportive and sustainable world in which children’s rights are respected.

In order to contribute to the emergence of such a world, Terre des Hommes Suisse’s mission is to act here and there to improve the respect of children’s rights in a sustainable way, by supporting the commitment of children, young people and local associations.

We pursue this mission in strict compliance with the values of sustainability, equity, solidarity and commitment.

Resources

The annual budget of Terre des Hommes Suisse is over 8 million Swiss francs. Almost 54% of this is provided by donations, legacies and contributions from the general public.

More than 83% of our expenditure is devoted to the implementation of projects for the defence of children’s and young people’s rights.

We work with a constant search for efficiency, in fact, our administrative costs amount to only 5%.

In Switzerland, our fundraising activities are carried out according to a strict code of ethics and are certified by the Zewo quality label.

History

In 2020, the Terre des Hommes movement celebrated its 60th anniversary. Here, you can learn more about the history of the organisation.

Team

Terre des Hommes Suisse is a human-sized organisation with 26 part-time employees in Geneva and around 30 employees in the countries of action, all from local civil society.

Its committee is composed of 9 members, re-elected every two years.

The Terre des Hommes Movement

Terre des Hommes Suisse is part of the Terre des Hommes movement founded by Edmond Kaiser in 1960 in order to help children in need.

Edmond Kaiser sought to mobilise people of good will to defend children’s rights. Thus, groups of volunteers were organised in French and German-speaking Switzerland to host children or take direct action in the field.

Over the years, several associations were created as a result of this impulse.

Advocacy Terre des Hommes Suisse / Schweiz

Terre des hommes schweiz (based in Basel) and Terre des Hommes Suisse are pooling their expertise to act against the root causes of exclusion and vulnerability of children and young people.

Tdh schweiz is competent in participatory approaches for young people and focuses on the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights, a culture of peace and sustainable livelihoods. TdH Suisse has strong expertise in the integrated promotion of the right to participation, protection against exploitation and violence and education, including education for a sustainable development.

Within the framework of this alliance, they carry out joint advocacy for children’s rights in Switzerland.

Networks

Terre des Hommes Suisse is part of local, national and international networks in order to mobilise the skills and synergies necessary for the effective promotion of children’s rights.

Ethics and labels

Terre des Hommes Switzerland works with the highest ethical standards. It is certified by Zewo, a Swiss quality label which attests to the rigorous management of its accounts and the proper use of donations in accordance with its aims. Thus 84% of the amounts collected are directly used for the projects and therefore for the children.

The protection of children is at the heart of our action. We implement a child protection policy that protects children from harm in the course of our activities. The quality of this protection has been certified by the Keeping Children Safe coalition with the Level 1 label.

Terre des Hommes Switzerland is committed to eco21, the energy saving programme of the SIG. Our association has implemented actions to improve the energy efficiency of its headquarters in Lausanne, in order to reduce its electricity consumption. Terre des Hommes Switzerland was thus awarded the label “Entreprise Engagée” by SIG in 2022.

Act with us

Do you care about respecting children’s rights ?

Get involved with us to help us carry out our mission.

Together, let’s enable vulnerable children to have access to education, protection and care and to be listened to in decisions that affect them.

Every action counts and makes a difference in a child’s life.

Thank you from the bottom of our heart!