Terre des hommes Foundation

Founded in 1960, the Terre des hommes Foundation (Terre des hommes) 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. Terre des hommes focuses on the areas of maternal and child health, children and youth migration, and access to justice. The organisation aims to empower children and youth through active participation and advocates for the respect of children’s rights, supporting them in voicing their needs and interests.

Working in fragile and conflict settings, as well as in stable environments, it has become the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid. 

• Countries of intervention: 35 countries  
• Number of employees: 2,190 employees (end of 2021)
• Expenditures: CHF 97.9 million (2021) 

Terre des hommes signed the partnership agreement with the Climate Action Accelerator in July 2021. Together, we worked on the methodology for the roadmap from September to December 2021. In March 2022, Terre des hommes started constructing its environmental roadmap. 

Terre des hommes, in partnership with the Climate Action Accelerator, has committed to accelerate climate action throughout their humanitarian operations by taking these concrete steps: 

• Measuring the carbon footprint of all Terre des hommes activities and setting up an integrated monitoring system
• Adopting a decarbonisation trajectory that takes into account the latest scientific warnings and aspires to align with the objectives of the Paris climate agreement – namely a reduction of the organisation’s carbon footprint by 50% by 2030
• Developing institutional and operational solutions to reduce Terre des hommes’ environmental footprint while strengthening its social mission
• Integrating the climate and environmental issues into the organisation’s programmatic approach (theories of change)

It is in this sense that Terre des hommes has committed itself through its 2021-2024 strategic plan to undertake several priority actions to face the future impacts of climate change. These commitments include limiting the carbon footprint of Terre des hommes’ activities, operationalising mitigation and adaptation measures in its programs, promoting prevention, preparedness and response practices in the face of environmental emergencies, and developing advocacy on the issue of children’s rights and the environment.  

Terre des hommes Foundation has been operating in Bangladesh since 1974, implementing relief, recovery, and development programmes in climate-vulnerable areas. In 2017, it expanded its operations to respond to the Rohingya crisis. The organization currently operates from five bases – Kurigram, Dhaka, Satkhira, Teknaf, and Ukhiya – delivering integrated programmes in Health, WASH, Child Protection, Climate Action, and Migration.

Through its participation in the collective cycle of the Climate Action Accelerator in Asia, Terre des Hommes Bangladesh is committed to moving towards a sustainable, resilient and low-carbon development model, while strengthening its action in favour of populations and communities and its capacity to deal with the consequences of global warming. 

Cover photo © Tdh/Sebastian Delgado