Working Alongside Communities to Change Lives

Since the start, Children on the Edge has worked alongside communities with international partners, based in the countries we work in.

Our partners are organisations who have high levels of skill, aptitude, and most importantly, local knowledge.

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For over 30 years, across 16 countries, we have worked with local partners to design programs according to the specific needs and circumstances of local communities.

The aim is always to co-create protective, nurturing environments for marginalised children in which they can safely live, play, learn, and grow.

Our approach to partnership is unique. While our core team is small, through our partnerships, our programs involve hundreds of staff around the globe. We firmly believe that those from, and living in, the communities where we work are best positioned to make lasting change.

Listening to and understanding the needs of local communities has always formed the basis of our work. We don’t arrive in a country and assume we can ‘build capacity’, but we do bring years of experience and expertise in working with vulnerable children.

"MANY DONORS WANT TO RULE THE PROJECTS, AND THEIR AGENDA DOESN'T REFLECT THE REAL NEED THAT IS HERE. CHILDREN ON THE EDGE WORK WITH US IN DISCUSSION AND FRIENDSHIP"

Janine Matar - Triumphant Mercy, Lebanon

Image shows three Kachin women standing behind a large group of preschool children from an ECD centre in Kachin State, Myanmar. The children are all wearing blue and white school uniform and are looking at the camera. The three women at the back are wearing blue sports jackets and are also looking at the camera. They are all stood undercover in an open-sided building with a tin rood and play equipment visible behind them.

By partnering with high quality local organisations, we learn from them as much as they learn from us. Together we find bespoke solutions to difficult problems, approaching each situation with humility and respect.

From each partnership and situation, we learn more to share with other communities around the world.

So we can continue to co-create protective, nurturing environments for marginalised children in which they can safely live, play, learn, and grow.

"DURING THE PAST EIGHT YEARS OUR ORGANISATIONS HAVE LEARNED MANY LESSONS AND DEVELOPED A PROGRAMME FOR EDUCATING CHILDREN WHICH WE BELIEVE IS THE MOST INNOVATIVE INCLUSIVE AND COST EFFECTIVE IN THE COUNTRY"

Bimal Day Sarker - Mukti, Bangladesh

WORKING WITH NESWS IN INDIA

When we began our work in India, we identified Bihar State as one of the most harrowing places on earth for a child to survive. Children in Bihar were at risk of trafficking, child marriage, poor health, caste discrimination, bonded labour and lack of access to education. We travelled to the worst parts of the state and began searching for those who were already trying to help.

That is how we met Sister Veena who was running NESWS.

Image shows Sister Veena, an Indian woman wearing a purple tshirt and patterned purple sari / dress. She has dark brown hair and black rimmed glasses and is smiling at the camera. She is standing next to another woman wearing purple who is also looking at the camera, she is not smiling.

Sister Veena, pictured on the left

At that time their organisation didn’t have a properly planned budget and all reports were written by hand; but they were doing absolutely fantastic work with children in Bihar's most marginalised communities. Through our partnership, Children on the Edge has been able to work alongside NESWS to develop all phases of their work: financial systems, computerised accounts, monitoring and evaluation, reporting systems, and grant applications to name a few.

Unlike most NGOs which run on one or three year program cycles, we view our partnership with NESWS as a long-term collaboration addressing deep-rooted issues for children which require more than just a few years to change.

Find out more about our work in India >>

OUR PARTNERS

Bangladesh: Mukti, Cox's Bazar

India: Navjeevan Education & Social Welfare Society Digha, Parivartan Kendra, Tatvasi Samaj Nias

Myanmar: Kachin Development Group, Kachin Women's Organisation

Lebanon: Triumphant Mercy

Uganda: Children on the Edge Africa, Youth Initiative for Development in Africa

SAFEGUARDING

We work closely with all our partner organisations to maintain compliance with our Child Protection Policy, to implement global safeguarding standards and to ensure the timely reporting of incidents to both donors and the Charity Commission. We ensure that ongoing training and implementation procedures are in place both in the UK and with all our international partners.

Our global partner organisations are all fully vetted and align with our own values on the dignity and protection of all those who participate in the programmes we support. We review their policies and ensure their codes of conduct, procedures and confidential reporting mechanisms are fit for purpose, along with their commitment to establishing an organisation-wide culture of safeguarding for their staff and the children they support.

Children on the Edge ensures that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to the staff and the communities we work with and will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners and official bodies. Concerns can be reported confidentially by emailing safeguarding@childrenontheedge.org.

Find out more about our Safeguarding Policy >>