Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk e.V.

The "Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk" (Children’s Charity of Germany) was founded by entrepeneurs and merchants in Munich on 17 February 1972. The aim was to improve the playground situation in Germany. In order to collect funds, a donation box was introduced, at the time a unique method of asking people to support a good cause. In the 80s, a lot of grass roots work was completed. The notion of children’s play environments became increasingly important. At the end of the day, children should not only be provided with enclosed playgrounds, but also child-friendly living spaces should be created.
As the 80s drew to a close, the Children’s Charity of Germany expanded its profile. A central requirement of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (signed in 1989 and ratified in Germany in 1992) namely the participation of children in matters concerning them, became the focal point of the organisations activities. Special attention was paid to the fields play environment and child culture. Monetary funds for the improvement of playing environment for children and youth were instigated. Monetary funds for each field were instigated. In 1993, the Children’s Emergency Fund was created as a result of the large number of requests from children and families in need.
Since the end of the 90s the Children’s Charity of Germany has adopted new fields of activity like child-friendly schools and new media. The support was expanded to offer a better service for children and adults. The child policy Info Point as a help-desk for adults as well as a network for activities within the child policy field has achieved high prominence. In 1999 “Kindersache.de”, a new online service for children, was launched. At Kindersache.de children are able to chat, play, get information and to develop own ideas. With 500 000 visitors per month, kindersache.de ranks amongst the most successful online offers for children.
(translated by betterplace)