TERRE DES HOMMES celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout Switzerland

5 Mar 2010 VariousSwitzerland

Two organizations: one movement: half a century’s support for children.
The TERRE DES HOMMES movement signals its 50 years of child relief with activities throughout Switzerland. These two organisations for children, with united development and counting 140 salaried and 2,800 volunteers in this country, as well as 1,250 employees in 50 countries of intervention, are complementary and cover a broad spectrum of programmes: humanitarian cooperation for development.

Numerous events will celebrate 50 years’ aid and cooperation for development all over Switzerland. The first to come will be in Bellinzona on Saturday, 27th March: the Terre des hommes – child relief (Tdh) Foundation has organised a conference for children. On Sunday, 9th May, the festival of Terre des Hommes Suisse (TdH) will be held in the framework of “Vernier sur Rock”, while an exhibition “Our Earth” of some thirty globes will be shown in Geneva from April until August. On July 22nd, the unveiling of a column in Lausanne, where Edmund Kaiser first created the movement, will have a high symbolic significance. At the beginning of November, terre des hommes schweiz is organising in Basle a debate on the participation of young people, followed by a party.
In 1960, during the Algerian war, Edmond Kaiser founded TERRE DES HOMMES in Lausanne, which later came to the aid of children in Biafra, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Lebanon. Soon, other groups abroad were formed on the Swiss model, so that six years later an International Federation came into being, which today comprises eleven organisations in Europe, North America and the Near East, with an international office located in Geneva. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, divergence on structures and the orientation of the movement led to a split in 1972.
Since then there have been two distinct organisations in Switzerland with similar names: the Terre des hommes – child relief (Tdh) Foundation in Lausanne, and the umbrella organisation Terre des Hommes Suisse/terre des hommes schweiz with a main office in Geneva for the French-speaking part of Switzerland and Ticino and a main office in Basle for the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Acting in a complementary way, these two organisations, together in the International Federation, share the aims and values of the movement, in particular the advancement of child rights.
With a budget of CHF 58 million, the Foundation Terre des hommes – child relief, has 1,400 salaried workers in 34 countries (one hundred in Switzerland) plus 2000 volunteers. On the other side, Terre des Hommes Suisse comprises 15 salaried employees and over 500 volunteers in Geneva (budget CHF 7 million), and terre des hommes schweiz has 24 salaried employees and 240 volunteers in Basle (budget CHF 8 million).
The two organisations constitute a composite movement. In this way, the Foundation Tdh (Lausanne) aids children through projects for health and protection in the South and the East. “We improve living conditions for over one million children and their families in 34 countries”, explains Peter Brey, CEO of the Terre des hommes Foundation. “We work with innovative approaches and sustainable solutions for healthcare and child protection, as just at present in Haiti.”
On their part, Terre des Hommes Suisse (Geneva) gives priority to prevention and the autonomy of children and the beneficiary communities. “However, so as to fight the causes of poverty, it is also necessary to make the Swiss people – in particular, young people – aware, to promote fair trade and sustainable development”, stresses Jean-Luc Pittet, Secretary General of Terre des Hommes Suisse, the holding organisation (Geneva and Basle), which works in 18 southern countries.

Information

Foundation Terre des hommes (Lausanne): www.tdh.ch : Pierre Zwahlen, spokesperson, 058 611 06 38 or 079 615 44 33, pierre.zwahlen@tdh.ch

Terre des Hommes Suisse (Geneva): www.terredeshommessuisse.ch : Souad von Allmen, Head of the information department in Geneva: 022 737 36 52 ou 079 837 13 56, s.vonallmen@terredeshommessuisse.ch

terre des hommes schweiz (Basel): www.terredeshommesschweiz.ch : Isabelle Fleury, Head of the information department: 061 338 91 32 or 076 559 02 12, i.fleury@terredeshommesschweiz.ch