Early Childhood Matters is now online! Read, discuss and share individual articles on a new dedicated website.
Community violence: The new edition of Early Childhood Matters, on the subject of Community violence and young children: making space for hope, looks at the effects on young children of growing up in a violent community, and explores interventions from around the world which are offering practical solutions.
Healthy environments: The latest in the Early Childhood in Focus series of briefing notes, co-published with the Open University, shows the importance of physical environment as intimately linked to the process of growth and development of skills and identity of the child.
The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international grantmaking foundation based in The Hague.
Our mission is to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. We see this both as a valuable end in itself and as a long-term means to promoting more cohesive, considerate and creative societies with equal opportunities and rights for all.
Latest news from the Bernard van Leer Foundation
What does a five-year old living in South Africa need to know about sexual assault?
12-07-2006
In her final report from the field, Hine Fellow Sarah Leeper describes how the editors of the Living Positively Handbook for HIV-positive children tackled the delicate issue of how explicitly they should talk about rape. Read more
Playtrain promotes young children's participation
29-06-2006
Download the first newsletter (pdf, 1.8mb) of UK-based foundation partner Playtrain. Among other things, the newsletter discusses a research project into methodologies to enable young children to express their thoughts and participate in decisions about services.
HIV Positive: helping children to cope emotionally
19-05-2006
HIV Positive: A book for caregivers to help children cope emotionally with HIV/AIDS (pdf, 1.6mb) is a publication of former BvLF partner the Media in Education Trust. It contains 40 pages of highly recommended practical exercises to help children cope with sickness, sadness, stigma, death and grief.
Empowering children through Hero Books
15-05-2006
Hero Booking is a process through which a child becomes the author, narrator, and illustrator of her own life. Maital Guttman, working with the 10 million memory project on a foundation-funded Hine Fellowship, reports. Read more
AIDS and children coalition launches website
09-05-2006
The Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA) has launched its website, www.ccaba.org. With funding from BvLF and other organisations, CCABA is working to put children high on the agenda of the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto in August 2006.
Documenting pediatric HIV treatment in Africa
09-05-2006
In her latest report from the field, Sarah Leeper asks how documentary work can help change minds in the scientific community about the importance of pediatric HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. Read more
Getting the HIV/AIDS message across
01-05-2006
Another in our series of vignettes from the field by students on the Lewis Hine Documentary Initiative. Elena Rue, who is working with Hope For Children in Addis Ababa, describes how a travelling photo exhibition tackles misconceptions about HIV/AIDS in Ethiopian villages. Read more
Implementing child rights in early childhood
26-04-2006
In collaboration with UNICEF and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, BvLF is proud to present A Guide to General Comment 7: Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood, a comprehensive and practical guide to the issues involved in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when it comes to young children. Read more
New journal on minority education
19-04-2006
BvLF partner The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is collaborating in the launch of a new journal in 2007, Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education: An International Journal. Follow the link for details of how to contribute or subscribe.
Rights activist addresses EUROCHIPS conference
19-04-2006
Activist and author Taslima Nasreen has agreed to deliver the keynote address at the first major European conference on children with imprisoned parents, to be held in Paris on May 12-13. An estimated 700,000 children within the European Union are separated from an incarcerated parent each year. Read more
