Kinderpostzegels celebrated 10 years activity in Croatia

In the past 10 years Kinderpostzegels, with the financial assistance of other foundations, financed over 135 projects for vulnerable children for a total amount of more than 3,4 million euro in Croatia. Croatia soon will enter the European Union and therefore, Kinderpostzegels is withdrawing its support from this country. Our advisory committee in Croatia published a book in English and Croatian with the story of their involvement and the opinion of the organisations that have been beneficiaries. The book gives an inside view on the way Kinderpostzegels is working in Central and Eastern Europe.

You can download the book here.

Article Radio Netherlands Worldwide on fight against female genital mutilation in Ethiopia

Last March a group of six Dutch youngsters who are actively involved in the fight against female genital mutilation has visited Ethiopia. There they met Ethiopian peers and experienced how they work on preventing female genital mutilation and to learn from each other. In Ethiopia they visited the organisations ADAA and ICEDA. These organisations have launched sustained activities to fight harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation and abduction. They are partner organisations of Kinderpostzegels.

During one of the visits to a community in Siraro district, Luc van Kemenade, a journalist of Radio Netherlands Wordwide, participated. You can read his article here. ADAA is active in this district. Kinderpostzegels supports ADAA´s prevention activities already for five years.

Dutch and Ethiopian youngsters join in their struggle against female circumcision

On 12 March 2011 a group of six Dutch youngsters who are actively involved in the struggle against female circumcision visit Ethiopia. There they will meet Ethiopian peers and experience how they work on preventing female circumcision and to learn from each other.
In Ethiopia, female circumcision is still common, although it is every year less and it is forbidden by law. In many communities however, this tradition is still used. Two Ethiopian organizations that work with youth on preventing female circumcision will show the Dutch youngsters how they do their work.
In May the Ethiopian youngsters will visit Holland. In the Netherlands the youngsters educate other young people in Dutch schools and mainly focus on young people who originally come from countries where female circumcision is still common. Here female circumcision is prohibited by law. The exchange is powered by Kinderpostzegels.

Sign the petition! Eliminate all child labour. Get every child into school

On the 10th and 11th of May, 2010, a Global Child Labour Conference will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands. Focus will be on the worst forms of child labour. However, the campaign ‘Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work’ believes this is not enough. Our partners have proven that it is not only theoretically desirable but also practically feasible to eliminate all forms of child labour and get every child into school – provided political will and concerted action are mobilized. Moreover, a world without child labour and the right to education is something that we have promised to all children!  
Therefore, Kinderpostzegels kindly invites you on behalf of the campaign ‘Stop Child Labour – School is the best place to work’ to sign the petition and support our call for more coherent action to realize all children’s rights. We also would greatly appreciate if you would ask others in your network to sign the petition as well.

Kinderpostzegels actively involved in Stop Child Labour Campaign

Kinderpostzegels has recently joined the Stop Child Labour campaign. The campaign is a joint lobby, education and awareness raising campaign that seeks to eliminate child labour through the provision of full time formal education. Child labour is still a huge problem all over the world: 218 million children work and don’t go to school. They live in poverty and have less hope for a better life.

Children in multiproblem families receive support in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On October 1st 2009 seven local non-governmental organisations signed a funding contract under the project “Today’s children are Tomorrow’s parents”, supported by The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Matra Programme. The aim of the project is to improve the quality of life and develop opportunities for children from multi-problem families in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The total value of the three year project is € 642.733. Kinderpostzegels co-finances the project.

Twelve Dutch youngsters broaden their horizon in Senegal

On 1 March 2009 twelve Dutch youngsters of two child welfare institutions have returned from their visit to Senegal. There they met 25 underprivileged Senegalese youngsters, frequently former street children and working young people and exchanged experiences and information.

Stop Child Labour Africa Tour 2008

The International campaign "Stop Child Labour, School is the best place to work" (SCL), in cooperation with Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland has organised Stop Child Labour Tour in Africa.

Interview Rachana Jeevan Rekha Parishad

Kinderpostzegels is supporting Jeevan Rekha Parishad, an organisation in Bhubaneswar, Orissa in India to eliminate child-labour in stone-crush areas by providing education. With the support of Kinderpostzegels 20 centres for non-formal education have been established to teach 500 children literacy, leadership and extra-curricular activities for learning social and moral values. The aim is to mainstream children into primary education.

Matra financial support for the development of six day centres for children from problem families in Bosnia-Herzegovina

An extraordinary project has been launched in Bosnia-Herzegovina: "Today's children are tomorrow's parents". This project is in the process of creating six day centres that will cater for at least 240 children from problem families by stimulating the children in their personal development. This project is financially supported by the Social Transformation Programme (Matra) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kinderpostzegels is also financing part of the project.

'Schools without violence' in Bihać, Bosnia-Herzegovina

After the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, there has been a great increase in the use of violence in order to solve conflicts. Violence has even become increasingly more acceptable. The upsurge of violence can be attributed to the effect of war and the economic crisis in the country. In schools too, there has been a visible increase in the use of bullying and violence. Teachers have had no training in dealing with this behaviour and are at a loss what to do.

W-ISH India in the Netherlands

Four young people and one adult leader from W-ISH India were the guests of ISH in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 16 to 27 April 2008. For ten days, they attended workshops in the areas of interest of ISH in order to improve their skills and to pass them on to other young people in India. A visit is planned for another group in the autumn and ISH will travel to India once again for a return visit.

Inaugural meeting Better Care Network Netherlands:

In The Hague, on Thursday 8 November, a meeting will take place to talk about experiences in the care for children who (temporarily) cannot live at home. There is a wealth of knowledge available about alternatives to orphanages, but too few people are aware of it. With the illustration of various examples, there will be talks about the different ways of providing a safe home base for children, the way in which organisations have offered their support and the importance of cooperation. The speakers will be from UNICEF, the Red Cross, International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) and some Dutch organisations working in the South. In addition, The Hague City Councillor for Youth Affairs will also be present.

Disability Development Services Pursat in the province of Pursat

In Cambodia, Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland supports the work of the organisation Disability Development Services Pursat (DDSP) in the province of Pursat. DDSP works with children with a disability, making sure they can go to school whenever possible and that their health situation improves. The aim is for the children to have lessons together with nondisabled children as far as possible.

The 'Human Trafficking is inhuman' campaign in Romania

The campaign 'Human Trafficking is inhuman' was set up recently in the Romanian town of Timisoara. The information campaign is targeting 2,000 school children aged from 15 to 19 years old, living in the border province of Timis. Role play in class by trained contemporaries, information brochures and films shown in youth centres are some of the methods used to make them aware of the dangers of trafficking in their environment. Trafficking is trading in children and women for the sex industry, forced labour, begging, illegal adoption and forced marriage, among other things. In the period 2000- 2005 the police in the province of Timis came across 367 victims of trafficking in human beings, 193 of whom were between 15 and 17 years old. 63% had been sexually exploited.