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Terre des Hommes celebrates 50 years of partnership with civil society

One of its first partnerships included the KEM Hospital childcare ward (still known as the “TDH Centre”) and other organisations such as Mobile Creches, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat.

3 min readPuneDec 22, 2025 08:20 PM IST

TDH Germany shifted focus to addressing the root causes of child vulnerability by supporting marginalised communities.

Set up in 1967 during the Vietnam War, Terre des Hommes (TDH) Germany began supporting children affected by violence and started work in India in 1975 with its first office in Pune. One of its first partnerships included the KEM Hospital childcare ward (still known as the “TDH Centre”) and other organisations such as Mobile Creches, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat. As TDH marks 50 years of partnership with civil society organisations, a series of events will be held on January 4, 2026, bringing together over 400 youth and partners from across the country.

By the 1980s, TDH Germany shifted focus to addressing the root causes of child vulnerability by supporting marginalised communities, partnering with grassroots organisations, and promoting children’s empowerment. Its work expanded across India and later to Nepal, where it addressed issues such as trafficking through rescue, rehabilitation, and prevention.

Over time, TDH Germany — whose tagline is “Empowered Children. A Just World” — moved from institutional care to community-based approaches, aligned its adoption work with international child rights standards and actively promoted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. TDH has been a founder of Action for the Rights of the Child in 1989, a network of NGOs that promote children’s rights in the city along with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on access to education for marginalised children.

“This also includes migrant children. We have also worked with India Sponsorship Committee, Centre for Learning Resources, New Vision and CYDA, and have directly reached 15,000 children and another 50,000 through the campaign and other networks,” Pune-based Ingrid Mendonca, regional coordinator, South Asia, told The Indian Express.

“Since the last few years TDH has supported more than 1,000 partner organisations in 18 states of the country. The focus has been the empowerment and protection of children. It has a focus to enroll children in government schools as well as to engage in sports, and foster teamwork and resilience. It is a time for reflection on this 50-year journey,” Mendonca said.

“Children successfully mainstreamed into the government education system and actively engaged in sports. At least 1,688 child marriages have been prevented, safeguarding the rights and futures of young girls while several vulnerable families and communities have been encouraged to avail of benefits from government schemes and social protection measures,” Mendonca added.

To mark this 50-year anniversary, a series of events will highlight key achievements and impact stories from partner organisations, voices from children, youth and communities they work with, insights into ongoing programmes and reflections from long-standing partners and supporters.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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