About us
Terre des hommes (Tdh) is the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid. Through our health, protection and emergency relief programmes, we provide assistance to over four million children and their families in around 40 countries each year.
Vision and mission
Vision
We aspire to a world in which the rights of children, as defined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, are always respected. A world in which children can thrive in safe environments and become agents of change they wish to see in their lives.
Mission
Terre des hommes, founded in 1960, is an independent, neutral and impartial Swiss organisation committed to bringing meaningful and lasting change to the lives of children and youth, especially to those most exposed to risks. We strive to improve their well-being and ensure the effective application of their rights as defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant human rights instruments. To make a difference, we focus on the areas of maternal and child health, children and youth migration, and access to justice. We aim to empower children and youth through active participation. We advocate for the respect of children’s rights, supporting them in voicing their needs and interests. We work in fragile and conflict settings, as well as in stable environments.
Our principles of action
• We act in the best interests of the child, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant human rights instruments;
• We promote and enhance child, youth, family and community participation and empowerment;
• We foster local partners’ ownership of projects and actions, reinforce local systems to support and enable various national and local stakeholders to provide expertise and best practices;
• We trust and build on the capacities of stakeholders and communities as primary responders and agents of change;
• We implement humanitarian, development and peacebuilding activities;
• We integrate constant learning, improvement, collaboration and knowledge sharing;
• We strive for innovation and sustainability in all our actions and programmes;
• We are accountable and transparent to beneficiaries, partners, donors and to ourselves;
• We partner with other organisations to advocate for the respect of children’s rights.
