OUR STORY
Children on the Edge is a child rights organisation, based in Chichester, West Sussex, which has worked for over three decades to support some of the most marginalised children worldwide. Scroll to read about our history and how we began...
Dame Anita Roddick in Romania
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THE START OF OUR STORY Together with our CEO Rachel Bentley, the late Dame Anita Roddick sparked the beginnings of Children on the Edge in 1990, in response to the Romanian Orphanage Crisis. After witnessing the appalling conditions in Romanian orphanages first hand, Dame Anita Roddick mobilised her company, The Body Shop International, to help. Over 30 years later, we have worked in more than 18 countries, and currently support over 20,000 of the most marginalised children, in some of the toughest situations worldwide. |
OUR HISTORY
In 1990 our CEO & co-founder Rachel Bentley visited Romania with Dame Anita Roddick, who mobilised her company, The Body Shop to help institutionalised children left in orphanages from the brutal Ceaușescu regime. This trip marked the very beginning of Children on the Edge. Initially, this involved helping three orphanages in the small village of Halaucesti in the Iasi district of Romania.
By 1992, the team had developed considerable expertise in working with institutionalised children in Romania and Moldova, establishing a programme to integrate them back into society. This prompted an invitation to expand this work into Albania & Kosovo.
By 1994, the work developed into Bosnia. It was clear that the organisation was working primarily with vulnerable children, in particular those without parental care. It was then that Rachel Bentley co-founded Children on the Edge. Rachel still leads the organisation today and has since been recognised for her work with marginalised children and awarded an OBE for her services to the protection and education of marginalised children worldwide.
In 1999, thousands of Kosovan Refugees arrived in the town of Korce, Southern Albania where we were working. We became involved in the relief effort, developing the skills necessary to work with refugees. The same year, we expanded into Kosovo to help rebuild the schools and communities devastated by conflict. Working with the children of Kosovo developed our expertise to include children in post conflict situations.
In 1990 our CEO & co-founder Rachel Bentley visited Romania with Dame Anita Roddick, who mobilised her company, The Body Shop to help institutionalised children left in orphanages from the brutal Ceaușescu regime. This trip marked the very beginning of Children on the Edge. Initially, this involved helping three orphanages in the small village of Halaucesti in the Iasi district of Romania.
By 1992, the team had developed considerable expertise in working with institutionalised children in Romania and Moldova, establishing a programme to integrate them back into society. This prompted an invitation to expand this work into Albania & Kosovo.
By 1994, the work developed into Bosnia. It was clear that the organisation was working primarily with vulnerable children, in particular those without parental care. It was then that Rachel Bentley co-founded Children on the Edge. Rachel still leads the organisation today and has since been recognised for her work with marginalised children and awarded an OBE for her services to the protection and education of marginalised children worldwide.
In 1999, thousands of Kosovan Refugees arrived in the town of Korce, Southern Albania where we were working. We became involved in the relief effort, developing the skills necessary to work with refugees. The same year, we expanded into Kosovo to help rebuild the schools and communities devastated by conflict. Working with the children of Kosovo developed our expertise to include children in post conflict situations.
Children from the child friendly centre in Indonesia
In 2001 Children on the Edge was invited by UNICEF to work with traumatised children and young people in post-conflict Timor-Leste. We established a child-friendly space to help children heal from the trauma of war.
In 2004 Children on the Edge became an independently registered charity. We still rely on generous fundraising and support from The Body Shop At Home and today thousands of consultants across The Body Shop at Home support Children on the Edge.
In 2005 when the Asian Tsumani hit Indonesia, we utilised our skills to help children in the area most devastated by the disaster and support communities to rebuild their lives.
In 2009 after building experience working with refugees on the Thai / Burma border, we began our work in Bangladesh with the Rohingya refugee community, providing education to children cut off from learning in refugee camps.
In 2010 when the earthquake struck in Haiti, we supported children in the slums of Port au Prince to access sports coaching, mentoring and nutrition.
In 2012 we established Child Friendly Spaces in Uganda, an agricultural training programme and voluntary Child Protection Teams. After a successful pilot project in Soweto slum in Jinja, which provided safety, education and nutrition to over 300 children we now support six other communities. In order to do this most effectively we registered a sister organisation in Uganda - 'Children on the Edge Africa'.
In 2013 we set up Early Childhood Development and support for children displaced by war and living in remote mountain camps in Kachin State, Myanmar.
In 2014 we began supporting education for Dalit children in Bihar State, India and tent schools for Syrian refugee children in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
In 2016 we began campaigning to change the Ugandan law on child sacrifice which emerged as a horrifying form of child abuse.
In 2019 in Kyaka II refugee camp, Uganda, we started working with refugee communities to provide vital early years learning for the youngest Congolese children.
In 2021 after years of hard work and a successful campaign, we saw the passing of 'The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill' to end child sacrifice in Uganda. The new law aims to curb rampant cases of human sacrifice in Uganda by addressing gaps in the existing legislation that do not adequately handle the practice of child sacrifice and ritual murder as a specific crime.
In 2022 we provided support for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and Romania, and expanded our work with Rohingya refugee children to Bhasan Char Island, Bangladesh.
Our programmes around the world have gained international recognition for their innovative approach and positive impact.
Find out more about all our past programmes and current work.
In 2014 we began supporting education for Dalit children in Bihar State, India and tent schools for Syrian refugee children in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
In 2016 we began campaigning to change the Ugandan law on child sacrifice which emerged as a horrifying form of child abuse.
In 2019 in Kyaka II refugee camp, Uganda, we started working with refugee communities to provide vital early years learning for the youngest Congolese children.
In 2021 after years of hard work and a successful campaign, we saw the passing of 'The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill' to end child sacrifice in Uganda. The new law aims to curb rampant cases of human sacrifice in Uganda by addressing gaps in the existing legislation that do not adequately handle the practice of child sacrifice and ritual murder as a specific crime.
In 2022 we provided support for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and Romania, and expanded our work with Rohingya refugee children to Bhasan Char Island, Bangladesh.
Our programmes around the world have gained international recognition for their innovative approach and positive impact.
Find out more about all our past programmes and current work.
Watch this interview with our co-founder and CEO Rachel Bentley about our work 'on the edge' over the past 30 years.
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