Program Contribution to the Alliance Terre des Hommes Schweiz-Suisse 2023-2024

A quarter of the world’s population are children and young people. Almost 90% of them live in developing countries. An estimated 262 million school-age children, adolescents and youths are denied access to education, an estimated 15 million adolescent girls experience forced sex and 12 million girls under 18 are married each year. Globally, 25% of adolescents are affected by violence or armed conflict. Almost one in ten children are in child labour. Fragile countries like Burkina Faso and Mali are among the 10 countries in the world where childhood is most threatened and the right to education is no longer protected. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Education has been seriously disrupted due to the school closures worldwide. All the Child Rights indicators are in the red and without strong action. The risk of lost decade in child right improvement will become a reality.

Terre des Hommes was founded in 1960 by Edmond Kaiser as an international non-profit organization for children's rights. It worked under the auspices of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes, whose members include independent Terre des Hommes organizations in Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Syria.

In 1972, different views on the organizational structure and the developmental orientation led to a separation in Switzerland resulting in three organizations: terre des hommes schweiz (Basel), Terre des Hommes Suisse (Genève) and the Terre des hommes Foundation (Lausanne). All three are members of the International Terre des Hommes Federation.

In 2021, the Alliance reached 980'000 direct beneficiaries (545'000 women/girls) including 680’000 children and youth (385'000 girls). Overall in 18 countries: 17 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia (India) and the Caribbean (Haiti) and in Switzerland.

In Switzerland: 160’645 direct beneficiaries (81'465 women/girls) including 88’000 children and youth (43'595 girls). In 17 international countries: 819'355 direct beneficiaries (463'535 women/girls) including 592’000 children and youth (341'405 girls).

The TdH Alliance actively participated in the learning journey on strengthening civil society and country ownership in 2021. Both Alliance members have a longstanding and rich expertise and reflected practice for strengthening local civil society based on an institutional partnership understanding. As transversal approach of TdH Alliance in its program, the CSO strengthening component was adapted to the increasingly fragile and challenging context and needs for support from local partners of the Alliance in all countries.

In 2021, the TdH Alliance prioritized the design and launch of implementation of joint country programs and harmonized M&E system for conducting baseline and KPI monitoring for the 1^st time.

Outcome 1

Children, young people and civil society organizations are able to promote child rights and sustainable development. (no SDC-program contribution must be used for interventions under this objective relating to Switzerland).

Outcome 2

Children and young people from marginalized and vulnerable groups have enhanced opportunities to continue and complete inclusive quality education.

Outcomes 3

Children and young people at risk and/or victim of discrimination, violence and exploitation benefit from protective environments and/or are empowered as agents of change promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.

Outcomes 4

Youth access health services incl. psychosocial support and manage sexually transmitted infections, HIV and teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence survivors access medical, legal and psychosocial support.

Outcomes 5

Youth have improved their livelihoods through (self)-employment or agroecological production.

Outcome 1

The Alliance strengthens civil society and country ownership in accordance with the provisions of the “OECD-DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society” and the relevant “GPEDC principles”.

Outcome 2

The Alliance initiates joint programming in the common intervention countries.

Fase 2 01.01.2023 - 31.12.2024   (Completed)