Who we are - Terre des Hommes Italia

Every child has the right to be a child.
Every child has the opportunity to realize himself. Everyone involved for a better world.

Terre des Hommes was born over 60 years ago to protect children worldwide from all forms of violence or abuse, guaranteeing every child the right to health, education, and freedom, without any discrimination based on religious, ethnic, political, or gender reasons.

Our values ​​compose a set of principles that inspire us in our daily action for sustainable development in different countries around the world and among the most vulnerable population groups.

The Card of
Terre des Hommes

«The silent global appeal of millions of children offered to suffering or death inspires the following: As long as a single child remains hungry, sick, abandoned, unhappy, and suffering, whoever they are, wherever they are, the Terre des Hommes movement, created for this purpose, will strive for their immediate and complete relief. After identifying a suffering child, Terre des Hommes will come to their aid in the way that best suits their needs. In their country, if circumstances permit, or elsewhere, they will be fed, cared for, given a family, and returned to a life worthy of a child, with the assurance of loving and competent help. Without political, religious, or racial prejudices, Terre des Hommes is composed solely of human beings working for other human beings, born from an act of justice, not condescension, in a spirit as close as possible to anonymity. Terre des Hommes is composed of all those who are animated by a single common purpose: helping children. Those who join Terre des Hommes are ambassadors and instruments of life, survival, and comfort. So that no one can remain the same as before: neither those who suffer, nor those who could alleviate suffering, Terre des Hommes will not cease to appeal to humanity to alleviate the infinite anguish of countless children.»

Edmond Kaiser, Founder of Terre des Hommes – Losanna, 1960

 OUR VALUES

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Children’s rights as the driving force of action

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Equality and equal opportunities

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Honesty and transparency in communication and fund management

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Competence, commitment, and professionalism of partners and operators

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Effectiveness and sustainability of aid

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Impartiality, neutrality, and independence of humanitarian action

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Respect for cultures and promotion of local resources

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Promotion of a broad popular base, active volunteerism, and youth participation

 Our Mission

We were born to protect children from any form of violence or abuse, guarantee every child the right to health, education and life without any religious, ethnic, political or gender discrimination.

We fight

To guarantee every child and young person their rights.

To protect children and young people from any abuse, even in the most difficult situations.

So that the rights of children and young people are always at the center of the political agenda.

We are committed

To guarantee every child and every young person a life free from violence, exploitation and discrimination

So that every child or young person can actively contribute to changing the society and culture of the world in which they live

To achieve lasting changes for the children and young people of today and tomorrow

We get active

So that everyone, companies and institutions, feel committed to finding the best solutions for a world fit for children and young people.

To involve all partners, the best experts and all types of resources, to create an environment where every child or young person can express all their talent.

To develop the best skills for the protection of children and young people and for the full realization of their rights.

Child protection: the decalogue

Terre des hommes: Dona ora

1 All girls and boys have an equal right to protection, well-being and participation without discrimination and the best interests of children are paramount.

2 The responsibility to protect the rights of children, girls and adolescents and protect them from abuse and violence lies with everyone: staff, partners, volunteers, visitors.

3 We are transparent and open to listening: situations of risk and abuse are more likely to develop where staff, volunteers, partners, children, and young people, families, and communities do not feel free and able to voice their concerns.

4 All reports regarding the safety and protection of children will be taken seriously.

5 Collaboration with other civil society and local organizations and with public institutions is essential. Working alone cannot guarantee an adequate protection network for children and young people.

6 We protect privacy and ensure confidentiality for everyone involved in a report.

7 We spread our values ​​to stimulate all our interlocutors on the topic of protecting children, girls and adolescents. We share our documents and are open to receiving feedback on their correct application.

8 Although the solutions and tools developed must respect the culture and traditions of the contexts within which they are applied, the cultural factor cannot in any way be used as a pretext for committing abuses.

9 We put children and teenagers at the centre: listening, involvement and co-planning of shared rules.

10 E-policies: we build and share with children and adolescents the tools to protect themselves from bullying and cyberbullying.

Our history

For more than 60 years on the side of children

1960

Together with friends and supporters, on 22 July Kaiser founded the Terre des Hommes movement in Lausanne for immediate and direct help to suffering children. About a hundred Algerian children are welcomed by Swiss families and holiday camps are organized for them. Medical aid is provided to sick children.

1989

The Terre des Hommes Italy association was born on the initiative of a group of professionals, entrepreneurs and representatives of civil society.

1994

Terre des hommes Italy becomes a Foundation.

1999

First emergency intervention by Terre des hommes Italy, in favor of the populations affected by the conflict in Kosovo.

2001

“Stop Child Trafficking” is born, the international campaign against child trafficking. The campaign gives life to a report that describes the phenomenon of human trafficking, its causes and effects and analyzes the experiences of some of the most important NGOs involved in the topic.

2002

In Rome, Terre des Hommes is organizing the international conference “Trafficking of minors: small slaves without borders” which will give a decisive push to the enactment of Law 228/2003 “Measures against human trafficking”. In the same year, Please Disturb was born, a campaign against sex tourism promoted by Terre des Hommes with the contribution of the European Commission.

2003

After the US attack in Iraq, Terre des Hommes started some projects for the protection of children in Baghdad.

2004

Round Table “The law against human trafficking: the prosecutors speak”, on the analysis and effectiveness of L.228/03 one year after its enactment, organized by Terre des Hommes. The same year, “Obiettivo Scuola” was launched, a campaign against illiteracy and in favor of the right to education for children living in the South of the world.

2005

The Tsunami emergency commits Terre des Hommes Italia to the rescue of children and the populations of Thailand and Indonesia.

2010

Terre des Hommes Italia has been involved in helping the victims of the terrible earthquake in Haiti since the first days, in coordination with the other organizations of the Terre des Hommes Federation.
Launch in Italy of the “Yellow Ribbon – I Protect Children” campaign for the prevention of child abuse, which involves municipalities and the media.

2011

Following the Arab Spring, the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe becomes massive. Terre des Hommes launches the Faro project for the protection of migrant minors in Lampedusa, initially with a legal information service then, in the following years, it will extend throughout Sicily with psychosocial and psychological assistance activities for unaccompanied minors and families with children. In the Middle East, with the start of the conflict in Syria, Terre des Hommes immediately took action to provide aid to the civilian population.

2012

On the occasion of the first World Day of the Girl Child proclaimed by the UN on 11 October 2012, Terre des Hommes launches the “defenseless” campaign to guarantee education, health and protection from violence, discrimination and abuse to girls all over the world. Since then, every year the Dossier “The Condition of Girls in the World” has been created with the most up-to-date data on violations of their rights, stories of revenge and proposals for the future.

2013

In April Terre des Hommes Holland, in collaboration with the Terre des Hommes federation, launches “Sweetie”, an avatar of a Filipino girl who represents a revolutionary approach to combat Webcam Child Sex Tourism or Cyber ​​Sex. Even in Italy, Terre des Hommes carries out an advocacy action so that the law provides for this type of investigation and leads to the adoption, ratification and strengthening of legislation for the prevention of these crimes and the protection of the victims.

2014

In June, the First Psychosocial Guide for Operators involved in the reception of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors was released, created in the Faro project for the training of operators involved in reception.
Active to provide aid to Syrian and Iraqi families who fled to Iraqi Kurdistan due to the expansion of ISIS.

In collaboration with ScuolaZoo, the indifesa Observatory was born to listen to the voices of Italian children on gender violence, discrimination, bullying, cyberbullying and sexting. Since its launch, more than 26,500 boys and girls from all over Italy have been involved, to date, the only permanent observation point on these issues.

2015

With the National Guarantor Authority for Children and Adolescents we present the first “National Survey on the Maltreatment of Children and Adolescents in Italy” which finally captures the real dimension of the phenomenon of child maltreatment.
In Colombia, the number of Venezuelans crossing the border is dramatically increasing due to the profound economic crisis. Terre des Hommes, already present in the border area, is active with humanitarian aid for families and protection services for children.

2016

A support service for unaccompanied foreign minors and families with children with psychosocial assistance and legal support is launched in Ventimiglia, as part of the Faro project.

2017

In May, the new “Guide to the Faro Model: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for unaccompanied migrant minors and families with children in first reception” was presented, a unique model of its kind in Italy, dedicated to migrant minors, which fully reflects the WHO Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Situations.

2018

Terre des Hommes, together with the Kreattiva association, creates the Network indifesa, the first Italian network of WebRadio and young ambassadors against discrimination, stereotypes and gender violence, bullying, cyber-bullying and sexting. The network, founded on youth participation, creates radio programs to promote knowledge and reflection on these issues.

2019

On 24 October at the “Vittore Buzzi” Children’s Hospital in Milan the Timmi desk was inaugurated, an intervention for the interception and support of family fragility. Born with the collaboration of the Terre des Hommes Italia Foundation, the project aims to recognise, prevent and intervene in dysfunctional family situations which, if not promptly intercepted, could lead to forms of abuse and/or mistreatment.

2020

In October “Consultami – Spazio Indifesa opens in Parma, the first point of listening and psychological and legal support aimed at girls and women victims of physical, psychological or economic violence in Terre des Hommes. In December, the Casetta di Timmi was inaugurated in Carugo (Como), the first educational-family community of Terre des Hommes and Comin which will welcome children aged 0 to 5 years old who have been removed from their families by order of the judicial authorities, often victims of violence and mistreatment.

Our organization

The Terre des Hommes Italy Foundation has a streamlined structure made up of professionals, led by the board of directors and permanent committee

We are a non-governmental organization born from the international Terre des Hommes movement founded by the human rights activist Edmond Kaiser in Lausanne in 1960. Since 1994 it has been a Foundation based in Milan, whose statutory bodies are the Permanent Committee and the Council of ‘administration. Its streamlined structure allows it to respond quickly to humanitarian emergencies, in line with its values ​​and mission.

The staff

Professionals in the field of international cooperation, advocacy, communication, fundraising and administration work within Terre des Hommes. In the countries where we operate, the delegation structure is made up of a country representative headed by expatriate aid workers and local staff.

Board of directors

The Council has all the powers of ordinary and extraordinary administration. This is its composition:

President

Donatella Vergari (lawyer expert in NGOs)

Council

Carlo Saverio Fossati (notary), Alessandro Maria Luigi Cunietti (University professor), Monica Barbara Gambirasio (lawyer), Massimo Arturo Alberizzi (journalist), Francesca Colombo (lawyer)

Standing Committee

This body guarantees respect for the nature and institutional purposes of the Foundation. It is made up of the founders of Terre des Hommes Italia and those, people or entities who, through co-optation exercised by the members themselves, become part of it.

The Committee appoints the members of the Board of Directors, which it can revoke by unanimous vote, and the Board of Auditors. They include:

President

Gaetano Galeone (lawyer)

Council

Manlio Frigo (lawyer), Roberta Cordani (writer), Alessandra de Vita Galeone (lawyer), Iva Farinacci (lawyer), Elisabetta Dami (writer), Jole Maria Celeste Milanesi (magistrate Court of Appeal of Milan)

Board of Auditors

The Board of Auditors has accounting, administrative and financial control functions.
Is composed by:

President

Luigi Gallizia di Vergano (financial advisor)

Members

Andrea Giorgi (financial advisor), Filippo Bellavite Pellegrini
(financial advisor)

The policy of terre des hommes Italy

– Minimum Standards for Individual Referral
– Policy on the Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH)
– WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY: PROCEDURE TO REPORT CONCERNS INTERNALLY FOR STAFF MEMBERS