Partner organisations and funded projects
Working with local partner organisations, we fund approximately 200 projects around the world. Follow these links for details of projects in our three programme areas:
- Strengthening the care environment;
- Successful transitions: the continuum from home to school;
- Social inclusion and respect for diversity;
You can also browse all our projects by their geographical location.
| NEWS FROM THE FIELD |
CHETNA: My Rights, My Responsibilities
We are pleased to make available a valuable new resource from our Indian partner CHETNA, a manual entitled My Rights, My Responsibilities: Learning To Teach Child Rights, which is aimed at facilitators of training sessions with teachers and NGO personnel. As the pdf is large, we have split it into modules for ease of downloading: Title (1.1mb), Preface (4.4mb), Module 1: Understanding the Child (4.2mb), Module 2: Introduction to Child Rights (11.2mb), Module 3: Child's Right to Survival (5.9mb), Module 4: Child's Right to Education and Development (4.7mb), Module 5: Child's Right to Protection (6.3mb), Module 6: Child's Right to Participation (9.5mb), Module 7: Child Rights - Programming and Advocacy (5.5mb).
10 May 2009
Archbishop Tutu to mark TREE anniversary
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be guest of honour at foundation partner TREE’s celebration of 25 years of working in early childhood development in South Africa. The celebration is part of a practical symposium on “Mitigating the Impact of HIV and AIDS on Young Children”, from 3-5 August 2009.
9 April 2009
Foundation project in Harvard Educational Review
Children, context and curriculum in multicultural education is a foundation-supported project discussed in the Spring 2009 issue of the Harvard Educational Review in an article by Zvi Bekerman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Please note a subscription is required to view the full article.
1 April 2009
Musharaka evaluation report
Musharaka is a collective of five Arab early childhood organisations, representing a common vision across Israel for respecful inclusion of young Arab children into the country's systems of early childhood education and care. This evaluation report (pdf) assesses the impact of the educational resources produced and disseminated by the collective.
25 March 2009
Conference on trauma in early childhood
On June 28-29, the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma will hold the International Conference on Trauma in Early Childhood. Further details.
17 March 2009
Register now for JLICED conference
Registration is now open for a conference in Ghent on April 29th hosted by the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity (JLICED) at which experts from around the world will share their experiences in developing, monitoring and researching programs.
17 March 2009
Peru NGOs meet on investing in children
Foundation partner Salgulu last week held the second in a series of meetings among Peruvian NGOs entitled “Investment in Children: Key Factor for Poverty Eradication in the Country.” This initiative promotes the permanent inclusion of investment in children in the national social and public agenda. Read more (pdf).
27 February 2009
Arab Resource Collective article discussed
"Children can endure a certain level of distress and confusion — as long as there are some 'safe zones' where they experience predictability and security. With such support, children can even develop resilience that will serve them well in later life." Join the discussion at ChildCareExchange on the article by Maysoun Chehab of the Arab Resource Collective in the most recent edition (order/download) of the foundation's journal, Early Childhood Matters.
23 February 2009
Latest newsletter from Hagar
"These are tense moments for the Hagar community, but we are confident that we will be able not only to deal with the tension but also eventually overcome it by educating a new generation of Jews and Arabs - a generation for whom violence is simply not an option." Read the latest from foundation partner Hagar (pdf).
22 February 2009
“Parents as Partners” research report
Readers may be interested in this research report (pdf) into changes in attitudes and behaviour caused by the “Parents as Partners” project. Implemented by foundation partner the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, the project worked with mothers and children in Bedouin villages in the Negev region of Israel.
19 February 2009
Dutch expert meeting on CABA
The Dutch Working Group on Children affected by AIDS (CABA) is organising an expert meeting on Thursday 2 April 2009 entitled Roles and Responsibilities of CSOs: how best to reach CABA? Further details (pdf).
11 February 2009
Democratic Education conference programme
The programme (pdf) for the conference Democratic Education in a New Europe - Challenges for Parents and Families, on 2nd March 2009, is now finalised. The one-day conference is hosted by foundation partner the Association for New Education in Berlin.
10 February 2009
Adam Institute: The First Steps in Democracy
The Adam Institute for Peace and Democracy have produced, with foundation support, a film about their work with young children in Israel entitled "The First Steps in Democracy". See part one below, or click here for parts one and two.
3 February 2009
Jewish and Arab children together after the war
"The most important fact is that we still manage to keep an atmosphere for discussion and debate." Read an open letter from Orly Almi, development director of Hagar: Jewish-Arab Education for Equality, on the experience of Jewish and Arab children returning to preschool after the war in Gaza.
3 February 2009
Report on Kinderschapsvorming seminar
The book Kinderschapsvorming was presented last November at a seminar hosted by our partner Stichting Child Care International, reported on in this article (in Dutch) in Beleid Bestuur Managements Pedagogiek in de Kinderopvang. The book focuses on young children and democratic citizenship.
2 February 2009
Hand in Hand January newsletter
Read the latest from Hand in Hand, including the impact of the war in Gaza on pupils in the Arab-Jewish schools, and a visit by UK foreign secretary David Miliband.
2 February 2009
Seminar on Mosaic Approach
On 6 March in Utrecht, foundation partner Childcare International (CCI) will host a seminar with guest speaker Alison Clark, senior lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton, who has co-developed a methodology called the Mosaic Approach to listen and to take into account young children’s views. The seminar is for professional childcare staff, managers, advisors and trainers. Further details (in Dutch).
22 January 2009
War time is the opportunity to talk
"[T]o ask them to talk as "you (singular) and me" and not as "you (plural) and us"... This is the reality and we need to face it as it is and not wait until... until when?" Reflections from the Differences and Multicultural Institute on a project facilitator's role amid the war in Gaza. Read more
15 January 2009
Music as a common denominator
"The current events in Gaza are heartbreaking. Nevertheless, we believe that, especially in extremely difficult times as the present one, it is crucial to show the determination and good will of Jews and Palestinians committed to dialogue - we do this through music rather than words, through culture rather than politics and through a deep appreciation for music as a common denominator while appreciating differences as an enriching element." Read more about the Beit Al-Musica initiative, a foundation grantee, here (pdf).
12 January 2009
Reflections from the battlefront
"These are days of trial, of pain, of violence and of war..." - read foundation partner NISPED's reflections on the current escalation of violence in Gaza. For brighter news from the region, watch this story of hope from Israel Broadcasting Corporation on another of NISPED's projects, the Arab-Bedouin Women's Catering Enterprise in Hura:
6 January 2009
Resilience manual in English and Arabic
We are pleased to share the manual Building Resilience in Preschool Children, published by our partner the Israel Centre for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, in English and Arabic (pdf files). It includes general information about resilience and five chapters of suggested classroom activities.
23 December 2008
Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender: Working Paper available in Nepali
A Nepali translation of the foundation's Working Paper number 39 - Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender: A summary review - has been produced by Sakriya Sath. Download it here (pdf, 0.5mb).
18 December 2008
Flanders childcare access law changes
The government of Flanders has changed the access criteria for childcare, to favour more vulnerable families. Michel Vandenbroeck, of the University of Ghent and foundation partner VBJK, believes foundation-funded activities have contributed significantly to the climate which brought this change about.
17 December 2008
New online resource: East Africa
The East Africa Clearing House on Childrens Rights and Welfare is now online, sharing research on children's matters in the region. The Bernard van Leer Foundation is among numerous partners who have collaborated with UNESCO's Nairobi Education Office to bring this resource into existence.
8 December 2008
Democratic Education in a New Europe
Foundation partner ANE invites your engagement in a conference to be held in Berlin next March 2-3, entitled Democratic Education in a New Europe – Challenges for Parents and Families. Read more about the conference here, and see also the minutes (pdf) of a networking meeting held last month involving various European organisations to lay the groundwork both for the conference and for a future network addressing the same topic.
27 November 2008
Building resilience with teachers
Donwload the presentation notes (pdf) of a talk entitled "Building resilience with teachers", given by Naomi Baum of foundation partner the Israel Centre for the Treatment of Psychotrauma to the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies conference earlier this month.
24 November 2008
Democratic citizenship in Utrecht school
Read the latest news (in Dutch) about democratic citizenship education at the Basisschool in Utrecht through the foundation project Democratisch Burgerschap bij Jonge Kinderen.
20 November 2008
BLMJ features in Hararetz magazine
"The future of mankind has its roots in the past, and only through understanding our history can we work together to create a better future for the generations to come": read a feature article (pdf) on foundation partner the Bible Lands Museum of Jerusalem, published recently in Essence magazine by Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
20 November 2008
Enrichment centre in Israeli press
Israel's English-language Hamodia newspaper featured this look at the Learning Enrichment Centre recently opened by our partner Mercaz Beth Jabob.
17 November 2008
Nilly Venezia on dialogue between identities
Nilly Venezia, who runs foundation partner the Venezia Institute, has contributed a piece entitled "Dialogue between identities in a multicultural society - The case of Israel" to Identity, Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, the proceedings of the 5th International Week of ESEC, the European Year of International Dialogue. Read Nilly's contribution, which focuses on sharing the personal stories of participants in Venezia Institute training programs, here (pdf).
13 November 2008
Canadian Star report on "love, tolerance"
The Canadian Star has a story on foundation partner Hand in Hand headlined "Love, tolerance go hand in hand at Israeli schools: Jewish and Arab students thriving in 11-year-old experiment in inter-ethnic accommodation".
13 November 2008
Evaluation of Children-Friendly Kindergartens
Read the latest evaluation (pdf) of the Children-Friendly Kindergarten Program, run by the Center for the Advancement of Functional Capacities in Israel. The program is based on the Neuro-Developmental-Functional Approach, which aims to prevent functional development delays.
6 November 2008
IFAN wins Brazilian award
From 318 organisations considered, the foundation's partner Instituto da Infância (IFAN) won the Prêmio Criança 2008, awarded by the Abring Foundation to highlight experiences that enhance Brazilian children’s quality of life.
4 November 2008
Latest newsletter from DaalAdvies
Read the latest news (in Dutch) from our partner DaalAdvies, responsible for the Samenspel project in the Netherlands.
3 November 2008
Lesedi model attracts praise and interest
The Lesedi Educare Association, a foundation partner in South Africa, write that "as a result of our presentation at the recent National ABSA / Sowetan / SABC Education ECD Awards - we were the Free State provincial winner, and a national finalist - we were approached by UNICEF and the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a view to working with them in exploring our community development approach to early childhood development".
31 October 2008
Latest newsletter from Hand in Hand
Read the latest from Hand in Hand as the new school year begins for their mixed intakes of children from Jewish and Arab communities.
30 October 2008
Bush thanks for monotheism book
The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem share thanks from President Bush for a copy of their book, Three Faces of Monotheism.
30 October 2008
Coordinators' Notebook now online
The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Development has released its latest Coordinators' Notebook (pdf), entitled Funding the Future: Strategies for Early Childhood Investment, Costing and Financing.
29 October 2008
DECET's October 2008 newsletter now online
The latest edition of DECET's newsletter (pdf) is now available, including the latest from partners in France, Belgium, Ireland and Greece. DECET stands for Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Training.
28 October 2008
European approach to children's services
On 27 November, foundation partners Stichting Childcare International and Children in Europe will host a presentation of "Young children and their services: Developing a European approach". Further details (pdf, in Dutch).
25 October 2008
Researchers meet on social lives of children
Twelve researchers on peer relations between young children are currently meeting in Portugal under the auspices of the foundation's "Community of Reflection and Practice: The Social Lives of Young Children". Readers may be interested in their background thoughts for the meeting and biographical details (pdf).
25 October 2008
FT features Global Fund for Children
The Financial Times recently ran a feature on the work of the Global Fund for Children, whose Under Eight initiative is supported by the foundation.
17 October 2008
Living spaces seminar in London
On November 4 in London, the "Listening as a way of life" seminar will share results from the foundation-supported Living Spaces project. See the invite and programme for the seminar (both pdf files).
13 October 2008
Eid and Rosh Hashanah greetings from Hagar
Hagar: Jewish-Arab education for equality would like to wish everyone greetings for the coming year.
30 September 2008
"Children Friendly Kindergartens" conference news
We are pleased to share transcripts (pdf) of the talks at the recent annual conference of foundation partner the Centre for Advancement of Functional Capacities, which implements the Children Friendly Kindergartens project in Israel. The talks present the application of the program in the cities of Haifa, Rishon-LeZion and Netanya.
15 September 2008
Daily News reports on Tanzania pastoralist project
The foundation-supported Monduli Pastoralist Development Initiatives (MPDI) project featured recently in Tanzania's Daily News. The report discusses the challenges of making formal education accessible and attractive for pastoralist communities.
12 September 2008
Al-Tufula introduces children to the world
The Al-Tufula Centre, which works for Palestinian children in Israel, shares in a special issue of its (newsletter (pdf) details of its 2008 Children's Festival, which attracted 1800 participants. The theme of the festival was "Traveling around the World", with Al-Tufula staff introducing children aged 3-8 to other countries, cultures and traditions.
5 September 2008
Central America phase-out meetings
The Bernard van Leer Foundation has been phasing out of Central America over the last two years. A series of meetings will now sum up lessons learned to a broad audience of politicians, researchers, practitioners and other organisations with influence over the regional agenda on early childhood - in Nicaragua (17 and 19 September), Guatemala (23 September) and El Salvador (26 September).
4 September 2008
