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About us
Vision Wereldkinderen
Every child has a right to a loving childhood. Children should be able to grow up in the protective environment of a family. For many children, however, this right is not a matter-of-course. Wereldkinderen stands up for the rights and the welfare of vulnerable children in developing countries.
We cooperate with local organisations that prevent that children will end up on the streets or in a children's home. If it is not possible for a child to grow up with its biological family, then we believe that a local family is a good alternative for a child to stay. If this is not feasible, then we mediate for intercountry adoption.
Read more about these four intervention strategies.
We regard adoption as an international child protection measure. Therefore, we seek suitable families for these children in the Netherlands. Our leading principle with regard to this, is the best interests of the child and respect for the parents who have given their child up for adoption and for the adoptive parents.
Our vision is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Adoption Convention.
All our activities are combined in our motto:
Every child a home
In the seventies and eighties Wereldkinderen (or a predecessor such as Agency Intercountry Adoption) was a mediator for adoption from amongst other countries Bangladesh, Colombia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, South Korea, Brazil and Sri Lanka. There are sometimes still questions about these adoptions or the files are unclear.
It is quite difficult for many adoptees to gain information about their biological family. Wereldkinderen tries to assist them as good as possible. Wereldkinderen believes that it is important that adoptees have the ability to get to know as much as possible about their adoption. With regard to this, we do not lose sight of the interest of the biological family.
What does Wereldkinderen know about these files?
The files that are thirty or forty years old contain – contrary to the current files – very limited information. Sometimes files are simply incorrect.
We often have the same, limited information and it is not always possible to seek a contact person from the country of origin. However, we share the information we have with the adopted person.
Leave of inspection to the file
Files are kept in a central organised archive, for fifty years. On this page you can read which information we need, to be able to give you a copy of your personal file.
For privacy reasons we do not share adoption files with third parties. We only share this information with parents and children. Under certain conditions it is possible though to have leave of inspection to (roots) journeys, letters and general information about a country. This could hold for organisations that want to do research.
Research into the background and the context of adoption
In order to add to the limited information and to know more about the context of adoption, we started a project together with other parties of the adoption chain. Contact persons, licensees, former directors and adoptive parents are being interviewed and research is being done into the method of work concerning adoption in some countries. All this regards the period before 2000. Procedures and habits in the countries of origin are part of the project. We also examine the position of women in these countries and the social and cultural background in that period of time. This way, we hope to gain a more complete image of the adoption stories.
How did Wereldkinderen act in that period?
As far as we can tell, based on the files, Wereldkinderen acted in accordance with the procedures in that period of time. Back then, it was not done to separate brothers and sisters. At the same time, we know that this nevertheless did occur, against all good intentions. When this became clear, action was taken immediately. Adoptions from certain countries were then stopped or adapted when there were doubts about the procedures.
Do you want to contact us about your personal file? Please send an email to Ellen ten Bloemendal, via info@ Wereldkinderen.nl.
