Working within Networks

Enfants du Monde wishes to promote collaboration with other actors working in the field of development, in contrast with the competition that sometimes prevails. Not only it is a philosophy but also an imperative so as to always improve the quality of actions to be implemented and to enhance their impact.

For this reason Enfants du Monde joined and got involved in the following networks:

•  The Genevan Federation for Cooperation

The Genevan Federation for Cooperation (FGC) was created in 1966 and consists of about fifty associations active in the field of development cooperation and/or information and awareness-raising of the general public regarding development and North/South relationships issues. It plays the role of a go-between for member associations, Genevan public communities (cantons, municipalities) and the Confederation (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC).

Enfants du Monde has been a member since 1968 and takes an active part in the life of the FGC, notably through the Technical Commission (through our officer in charge of the projects in Haiti and in Bangladesh).

• Swiss Network for Children's Rights

The Swiss Network for the Rights of the Child objective is to intensify the collaboration between organizations active in the field of Children's Rights and of child policy in order to favour the recognition and the application in Switzerland of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child.

Enfants du Monde has been a member since its creation in 2003 and takes an active part via its president who is a member of the network's committee.

• Medicus Mundi Switzerland

The Swiss Network Medicus Mundi regroups a diversity of 47 organizations and initiatives active in international cooperation in the health field on a voluntary basis, that have a common objective nonetheless : Health for All. The network considers itself as a work and learning community open and uniting that allowed the issuance of a newsletter, the organization of a day of training, the on-lining of various portals specialized in Health and International cooperation matters.

Enfants du Monde has been a member since 2006 and is represented by its Secretary general.

Moreover Enfants du Monde's Secretary general spoke at the last Symposium of swiss cooperation in terms of health on the topic: "Towards a better joint of the community component" (november 2008).

Speech extract (in french)

• The Partnership for maternal, new-born, and child health

The Partnership for Maternal, New-born and Child Health was created in September 2005 to accelerate the completion of the Millennium Development Goals number 4 and 5, that is to say reduce child mortality and to improve maternal health. This partnership aspires to strengthen and harmonise the measures taken at the national, regional and international levels to improve maternal, new-born and child health.

Enfants du Monde, through its Secretary General has been a member of the network comprising 80 members, since 2005.

•  The Haitian Platform of Switzerland

The Haitian platform of Switzerland (PFHS) was officially constituted in 1992 and currently regroups 24 associations of solidarity with Haiti. It's a dialogue framework that aims, in the long run, to improve the solidarity and cooperation bond with Haiti so as to allow a sustainable development through 3 approaches: information (notably via a monthly newsletter PFHS-information), consultation and action.

Enfants du Monde has been a member of the platform since 1992.

• Education and Development Foundation

The Education and Development Foundation's mandate is, among other things, to coordinate all the pedagogical or awareness-raising activities implemented by non governmental organisations from French-speaking Switzerland. Enfants du Monde is a member of the foundation and in this capacity, twice a year, takes part in a forum that is an information exchange platform for the organisations. Moreover, our pedagogical projects offered to schools are mentioned each semester on posters displayed in all the classrooms and our pedagogical materials (pedagogical folder "Riche, pauvre… ça veut dire quoi?") are listed and proposed to teachers.  

• The Swiss network of partners for education

This " Network of Organizations based in Switzerland for the promotion of Education in partnership with Eastern and Southern countries" was created in January 2006, notably at Enfant du Monde's initiative. Its goal is to promote the quality of basic education programs implemented in the South by favouring exchanges and synergies among stakeholders in Switzerland. This network is managed by Enfants du Monde in 2008 andn 2009 with the support of a committee constituted of representatives of the Foundation Village d'Enfants Pestalozzi, the Association Coopération Pédagogique en Afrique and the Institut für die Zusammenarbeit in Bildungsfragen.

•  Genevan Liaison Group of Youth Associations

The Genevan Liaison Group of Youth Associations (GLAJ-GE) mainly allows networking and enables its members to carry out joint actions, to consult each other regarding questions specific to Youth and to create economies of scale. Furthermore, the GLAJ represents and promotes the interests of some members before governmental authorities and other related institutions (the GLAJ is part of the Youth Fund of the city of Geneva and is also an observer member of the Quality Charter). Enfants du Monde has been a member since 2004.

•  Chamber of social and solidarity economy (APRES)

The Chamber for the promotion of social and solidarity economy (APRÈS), was created in 2003 by three persons involved for many years in various ways in cooperation and associative projects. It all started in 2004 with the Firsts Meetings of Social and Solidarity Economy of the Genevan region. Since that time, more than 160 funding members support APRES' activities. Among these activities, the First Experience Project (PPE) was implemented in partnership with the Cantonal Office for Employment. This pilot project implied the integration of qualified unemployed people in qualification training missions within member organizations of APRES for 6 months. Other activity : create a portal for Social and Solidarity Economy, genuine tool made available for ethical consumption on which you can buy, sell, move, consume differently thanks to the products and services offered by more than 140 organizations. Another on-going initiative is group purchasing, respecting social and solidarity economy, for the member organizations of APRES.

Enfants du Monde was one of the first members of APRES in 2005.