A century of commitment to strengthening children's resilience
Children's Postage Stamps has been around for 100 years. Since 1924, the charity organization - known for its annual children's stamp campaign - has been committed to helping children who are having difficulties. Kinderposttempels kicks off this anniversary year today with the announcement of the theme: resilience. Hundreds of thousands of children in the Netherlands face poverty, loneliness or problems at home and lack a good basis for being resilient. Kinderposttempels is committed to these children and wants to give them a safe base, support and attention.
Princess Beatrix during the children's stamp campaign in 1948
In 1924, a royal decree stipulated that stamps may be issued with a surcharge 'for the deprived child'. Children's stamps is a fact and the campaign has now grown into Dutch cultural heritage. Many Dutch people have fond memories of going door to door with classmates during the annual children's stamp campaign. More than 3,000 schools and 125,000 children participate every year.
King Willem-Alexander with the stamps with the photos he took in 2012
What is less known is that the foundation established the Kindertelefoon in 1979 and laid the foundation for the establishment of the Children's Ombudsman in 2011. Over the years, the collaboration between Kinderposttempels and PostNL has produced special children's stamps, such as those with the princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane photographed by King Willem-Alexander and stamps designed by well-known illustrators such as Dick Bruna, Max Velthuijs and Fiep Westendorp.
Children's stamps through the years
Help is still desperately needed
Unfortunately, the work of Kinderposttempels is still desperately needed. Sofie Vriends, director of Kinderposttempels, says: "Currently, more than 230,000 children in the Netherlands live below the poverty line. 1 in 4 children has a parent with an addiction or psychological problems, and 1 in 8 children receive youth care. It is extremely important for these children to receive support in their environment and to learn skills that help them deal with difficult situations. We are committed to them with heart and soul, now and in the future."
Kinderposttempels helps children by supporting projects such as Villa Pinedo , a community for children of divorced parents, and Triple Threat that uses young people in disadvantaged neighborhoods as role models and creates a community. Kinderposttempels also has several projects of its own, such as: The Children's Wallet : a special fund for which children can choose a destination themselves, and Room for a Child an initiative that ensures that children in foster families get their own room with financial and practical help.
Resilience as a superpower
The anniversary year of Children's Postage Stamps focuses on the theme of resilience. According to the foundation, resilience is a superpower that you can use in difficult situations. Having a safe base and receiving loving attention help with this and ensure that children are more secure. Kinderposttempels, together with project partners, is committed to providing structural support to increase the resilience of children who are having difficulties. Kinderposttempels also offers tools to schools to get started with this in the classroom. During the anniversary year there will be various additional activities around the theme of resilience.
Source figures: CBS, Trimbos Institute and Defense for Children.