Jump to the content

End exploitation - give the gift of education

Child labor destroys dreams –
education gives a future

Thousands of girls and women toil to the point of exhaustion in India's textile factories. They are exploited, deprived of their rights, and isolated. With your help, we can free them from the factories and provide them with an education. A school supply package for just €25 can help a girl!

Give the gift of education!

Twelve hours a day at noisy machines, seven days a week. The air is thick with dust; there is no hearing protection, no respirators. Anyone who is sick is given a pill and has to keep working. The supervisors insult, beat, and harass the girls. Even cases of rape have been documented. In the accommodations, 20 female workers sleep in shifts in ten square meters, on the floor, under strict guard and isolated from the outside world. It is a life like in prison: behind high walls topped with barbed wire.

End exploitation - give the gift of education

Kanishka was 14 years old when her childhood came to an abrupt end. She put her schoolbooks on the shelf and followed her father's instructions to work in a textile factory. Her family home was steeped in poverty and under immense pressure to raise money for her dowry. The factory owners exploited the girls' difficult circumstances, locking them into long-term contracts and subjecting them to inhumane working conditions. The girls were taken out of school to perform grueling physical labor—work that left deep scars on their souls.

The exploitation in textile factories is modern-day slavery and must be stopped.

Out of the factory – into a self-determined life

Terre des Hommes brings hope to families. We go to the villages, talk to parents, raise awareness about the appalling conditions in the factories, and show them alternatives: their daughters can complete their schooling and begin vocational training at educational centers. For female factory workers, we negotiate better working conditions with factory owners and insist on the observance of labor rights.

Kanishka is back in school today. She wants to get an education and only get married when she earns enough money. The future is hers again.

"I'm never going back to the factory. I want to finish school and then find a good job - only then will I get married!"

Your donation ends exploitation!

Your donation is a gift that will have an impact far beyond Christmas: You are protecting girls like Kanishka from exploitation and ensuring them an education and a life of dignity. Please help!

Terre des Hommes guarantees: Your donation makes a difference and reaches its destination

Our name, " Terre des Hommes " stands for "Earth of Humanity." As a children's rights organization, we are committed to helping children in need through 416 projects worldwide: We protect them from violence and exploitation and provide humanitarian aid.

Several institutions verify the proper use of your donation: Auditing firms and the Osnabrück tax office conduct regular audits, including at our regional offices worldwide. Furthermore, we undergo an annual evaluation by the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI). The DZI awards a donation seal to charitable organizations that operate ethically and are trustworthy. Terre des Hommes Germany has held this seal continuously since 1992.

questions and answers

Our FAQ answers the most frequently asked questions about donations. Our colleagues in the donation service are also happy to assist you by phone.

Go to FAQ

Your contact person

Marie-Luise Steinkamp

Speaker Fundraising