Acting hand in hand to uphold and protect their rights
Children are the focus of our mission, vision and values because they are part of the present and represent the future. The world holds many threats: poverty, epidemics, armed conflicts, natural disasters, the climate emergency and so on, and children and young people are in the front line of greatest exposure to those dangers. They are entitled to be protected, supported and heard.
Can you help to support their right to a childhood?
Creating change with children
One day, through no fault of their own, their lives were turned upside down as a result of lack of water, poor sanitation, floods, deforestation or war. How can we help these children, irrespective of their age, origins, beliefs and situation? By boosting the visibility of their rights and best interests. By changing mindsets. By fighting against racial and sexual discrimination. By giving them the resources to become actively involved in the change they want to see in their lives.
One-to-one with Brian
“The greatest challenge I face is not being taken seriously. When I talk to political decision-makers, all they see is a kid making some noise. All they see is a person without enough experience to know what they’re talking about."
Convinced that children are not only the future, but also and importantly the present, Brian wants to be part of the discussion about the climate crisis. Based in Kenya, the 17-year-old activist is fighting to get his voice heard by political decision-makers. Very concerned, he also reiterates how doing even small things can have an impact, such as not wasting water or electricity at home, using public transport, not using plastic bags, trying to recycle more water, and so on.
Their rights are the focus of our mission
Children’s rights have been enshrined within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child since December 1989. Recognised as existing for all children worldwide, these rights are part of our history and are universal.
We make each child and young person our top priority, and the focal point of our work everywhere that our foundation is active. We are defending their rights and their futures every day, listening to them so as to get their voices heard and meet their requirements, and guiding them along the path to resilience. We invite them to participate in our decision making and our advocacy by means of innovative methods and tools, with the goal of instigating positive and lasting change together.
Standing by their side
Defending their rights
Terre des hommes consistently advocates for a world where children’s rights, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, are fully respected. Our teams work alongside them so that they can defend their basic rights, and then in turn take up the baton on behalf of other children, young people and adults.
Always listening
Our foundation is committed to giving children and young people the practical means to express themselves and participate in building their future. These young adults in the making have the inalienable right to express their opinions, pass on their perceptions, and exchange ideas. The onus is on us to create the conditions needed for their active involvement in changes that affect them.
Protecting all children whatever happens
Through our programmes focused on health, migration and access to justice, our objective is to offer every child the right to have a childhood worthy of the name. To this end, our teams are working in some troubled situations and conflict zones, but also in more stable circumstances.
