Terre des Hommes Internationally

The Terre des Hommes International Federation (TDHIF) is an apolitical network dedicated to helping children in need and promoting their rights, regardless of race, religion, gender, or culture.

The Terre des Hommes International Federation comprises ten independent member organizations, including Terre des Hommes Denmark. The TDHIF headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

TDHIF can be seen as an association where member organizations collaborate when it adds value to their activities. The member organizations share the same name, values, and principles, and work towards the common goal of helping children in need using the same methods.

At the same time, each member organization has the freedom to take independent initiatives and adopt measures that they find most beneficial. In addition to Denmark, Terre des Hommes is represented in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Canada.

Facts about the Terre des Hommes International Federation

Terre des Hommes was founded in 1960 in Lausanne, Switzerland, by Franco-Swiss citizen Edmund Kaiser.

The aim was to create an organization that maintained a focus on children in distress, as opposed to the administratively heavy organizations which, according to Edmund Kaiser, often ended up drowning good intentions in administration and bureaucracy, and often ended up benefiting adults more than children.

Edmund Kaiser drew inspiration for the name “Terre des Hommes,” or “The Earth of Mankind,” from the world-famous author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s autobiography of the same name. In the book, the author touches on themes such as every person’s duty to create a better world, the responsibility of people to collaborate, and the potential in every child if they are protected, nurtured, and loved. These are values to which Terre des Hommes remains steadfastly committed.

Edmund Kaiser’s desire to help children in need stemmed from the then-ongoing conflict in Algeria. The organization’s first achievement was to transport Algerian children suffering from tuberculosis to Switzerland. That was nearly 60 years ago.

Edmund Kaiser’s pioneering efforts have today grown into an alliance of ten countries (TDHIF) headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Terre des Hommes now helps children in distress in 69 countries, with a total of 921 projects and a combined revenue of over one billion kroner. More than 8,500 volunteers work for Terre des Hommes.

In 1967, seven years after Edmund Kaiser’s assistance to Algerian children, Terre des Hommes Denmark was established.