About us

As a Christian organisation, we believe that every child has the right to a dignified and hopeful future, regardless of their origin, religion, gender or background.

We invest in children's earliest years because a promising start shapes the rest of their lives. 

With love, protection, good nutrition, and education, children can develop their talents and fulfil their potential. 

Together, we’re building a world in which every child can grow up with a promising future.

• Focus on young children (aged 0–7): We invest in early childhood development through preschools, parenting support and Child-Friendly Spaces. 
• Nurturing families and self-reliant communities: We support parents and caregivers so they can provide their children with a stable and nurturing foundation.
• Self-Help Groups and community programmes strengthen economic resilience, social cohesion and self-reliance. 
• Protection: We protect children from violence, exploitation and neglect, paying particular attention to the youngest children and those living in vulnerable or unsafe situations. 
• Partners and ownership: We work in partnership with local organisations and communities because they understand the context, culture and challenges best. 
• Sustainable impact: Our approach focuses on systemic change that benefits current and future generations, including during times of crisis.  

• Child-centred and holistic: Young children are at the heart of our work. We strengthen the families and communities around them.
• Sustainable impact: Families and communities are equipped to sustain progress after the programme ends.
• Local strength: We build on local knowledge, resources and leadership and strengthen existing networks. 
• Christian motivation: We are motivated by the love of Jesus, which shapes our values and guides our work.
• Transparent and personal: We communicate clearly about how donations are used and the results achieved, and we actively involve donors in our work.
• We stand alongside one another and learn from each other, building bridges between people and communities across the world. 

Help a Child began with a letter. In 1968, Hans and Anky Rookmaaker received a letter from India describing the dreadful poverty children there had to endure. In it, they heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Anky set about connecting with people in India who had heard the same call, and with people in the Netherlands willing to contribute the necessary resources. Together with Mr. Slothouber, she and her husband founded ‘Stichting Redt een Kind’ on 28 March 1968.

Milestones

• 1968 – A cry for help from India (“Children are dying here”) inspires Anky Rookmaaker to found Redt een Kind (Help a Child).
• 1970 – We start working in children’s homes in African countries.
• 2008 – The founding of Help a Child Africa in Nairobi is our first step towards decentralising our work.
• 2011 – We get a new logo and change our approach: from orphanages to working with entire communities at once. Our first Child-Centered Community programme starts in Bugesera, Rwanda.
• 2016 – Country offices open in quick succession. Help a Child becomes increasingly visible internationally, with an office in seven countries.
• 2025 – Once again, Rwanda is where we pilot a new way of working. With Turakura Kids Rwanda, we are moving away from one-to-one sponsorship. Supporters now support the programme as a whole and receive updates from ten families.

Almost 60 years later
Today, Help a Child provides a life full of opportunities for every child. Besides India, we are active in Kenya, Burundi, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and DRC.