PRINCIPLES
AND VALUES:
Promotion of child rights:
1. The movement strives to promote and enforce human
rights as described in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, and also in the regional organizations.
Direct aid:
2. The assistance the Foundation offers is considered
"direct" in as much as it benefits tangibly
and explicitly deprived children. Such help can be
provided by projects administered by the Foundation
itself, or by operational partners.
Respect for law:
3. The programs are conceived and run in compliance
with the legislation of the countries involved.
Respect for cultural differences:
4. The movement's actions respect the dignity, identity
and culture specific to the inhabitants of the relative
countries. However, it opposes any habits and customs,
or systematic dereliction of duty, which are contrary
to the physical, psychological or moral integrity
of the individual.
Independence and good governance:
5. In the same way, while respecting the values and
traditions of the country, the Foundation is free
of all pressure which may give a political, racial,
ethnical or confessional orientation to its projects
or which may try to make it act against the fundamental
principles of good governance (nepotism, corruption,
favoritism, etc.). All the Foundation's operational
partners are required to do likewise.
Principle of subsidiary:
6. Terre des hommes actions are mainly run on subsidiary
lines. Its action does not aim at replacing the parents
and the community in their duties towards the child
in the long run. The direct assistance to the child
is thus completed with measures allowing the family
and the community to take long-term charge of their
children. However, community development only does
not assure systematically the well-being of the most
vulnerable children.
Community participation:
7. Terre des hommes encourages the child’s community
to become aware of the child’s plight and to
take its responsibility so that it can decide itself
on its own future. The movement implicates the children,
the youth and the families in the conception and the
running of the activities of the projects.
Direct management or through a partner:
8. The Foundation strives to make its projects autonomous
and encourages the institutional development of its
operational partners. At the same time, Terre des
hommes maintains its vocation and ability to initiate
and administrate projects in its own name when there
is no other alternative.
Networks:
9. The movement contributes to the strengthening of
the social network for the benefit of children in
countries where it is active. It supports the active
cooperation with government agencies and complementary
NGOs in order to reinforce the actions’ impact
and to maximize the resources.
Mothers solely in charge of children:
10. Destitute mothers, solely in charge of their children,
are particularly vulnerable. They are, with their
children, given special attention by the movement.
Working agreements:
11. The relations of the movement with its partners
are founded on written agreements. These are based
on strict, verifiable, and mutual requirements as
regards quality, on the results to be obtained, on
the transparency needed, and the mutual exchange of
know-how.
Terre des hommes’ contribution:
12. Terre des hommes does not wish to provide funds
only. The Foundation strives to provide special advantages
and know-how for the projects it supports.
Measure of results:
13. The movement uses systematic control of measurable
indicators to keep an objective eye on the results
achieved by its projects.
Sustainable development*:
14. In general Terre des hommes ensures that its actions
as a whole are compatible with the basic principles
of long-term development.
Volunteers and salaried workers:
15. Volunteers and salaried workers are two complementary
pillars, indivisible, indispensable, and of equal
value for the movement.
Value of volunteers work:
16. Voluntary work at headquarters, in working groups
and in projects, both in Switzerland and overseas,
is a tremendous advantage for the movement.
Working groups:
17. Terre des hommes working groups and local sections
in Switzerland are essential elements of the legitimacy
among the Swiss population which characterizes the
movement.
Funding sources:
18. Terre des hommes can accept only those donations
which come from sources compatible with the mission,
values and independence of the movement.
Respect of donor's wishes:
19. Funds received are used in compliance with the
wishes of the donors, for projects and strategic orientations
defined by the movement.
Transparency:
20. When dealing with public authorities, donors,
operational partners and the general public in any
of the countries where it is active, the movement
ensures full transparency, scrupulous honesty and
detailed accounting for all fund-raising and the use
of such.
Nature of the commitment of Terre des hommes'
actors:
21. There is no contradiction between a professional
worker and a militant. Each person involved in the
movement (volunteers and salaried staff) must take
both roles in his or her place within the movement.
Utilization of resources:
22. The movement strives to use in the best possible
way all resources available. As regards funds this
means strict economy, trying to find free advantages,
discounts, reasonable wages and fees for its suppliers
and employees, by keeping in mind the best level of
professionalism, and careful investment. With regard
to human resources, salaried or not, this means a
policy which brings out and develops the potential
of each person to serve best all the movement's causes.
Gender approach, equal opportunity:
23. The Foundation insists that there must be no sex
discrimination within its human resources policy and
has adopted a balanced approach in its projects; everybody
should have equal opportunities, without sex discrimination.
Terre des hommes and the Swiss public:
Terre des hommes' vocation is to be a movement uniting
the whole of the Swiss population, with the same ideal
of justice, beyond all regional or linguistic frontiers;
a movement of international dimensions, compiling
all the positive sides of its partners and collaborators
