It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to Lutz Beisel, the founder of Terre des Hommes Germany. With his dedication and determination, he created one of Germany's most important children's rights organizations and shaped it for decades.
Lutz Beisel was deeply shaken in the 1960s by the images of the Vietnam War and the suffering of the affected children. "You can't just stand by and watch. You have to do something," he later described his motivation.
Video interview with Lutz Beisel
On January 7, 2017, the official ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of Terre des Hommes took place. On this occasion, Lutz Beisel was interviewed about the founding of Terre des Hommes .
On January 8, 1967, he and around 40 fellow activists launched the " Terre des Hommes Germany" campaign at the Waldorf School in Uhlandshöhe, Stuttgart. The initial goal was to help war-wounded and orphaned children from Vietnam, providing them with medical care, protection, and future prospects. Just a few months later, the first children were able to be flown to Europe and cared for in Germany.
From the initial initiatives, which Beisel himself organized with modest means, a growing movement quickly developed. The first offices were established in Stuttgart in 1968, and in 1969 the national headquarters was opened in Osnabrück, which Beisel managed as director until 1979. With his involvement Terre des Hommes Germany established itself as an important voice for children's rights worldwide.
After his time in Osnabrück, Lutz Beisel returned to southern Germany and became involved in various activities, including those related to Waldorf schools. He continued to follow the development of Terre des Hommes Germany with great interest and participated in anniversaries and public events on special occasions.
Lutz Beisel has received numerous awards for his outstanding civic engagement, including the Federal Cross of Merit in 2018. Other honors include the Social Prize of the City of Tuttlingen and the Stuttgart Peace Prize.
Lutz Beisel acted out of deep humanitarian conviction. His work is rooted in a tradition of understanding responsibility that extends beyond one's own life, shaped by the ideas of Terre des Hommes namesake, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: "To be human is to feel responsibility: to feel shame at the sight of suffering, even if one is clearly not to blame for it; to contribute one's stone in the awareness of participating in the building of the world."
With his commitment to children in war zones and crisis areas, Lutz Beisel set lasting standards. His initiative laid the foundation for an organization that continues to advocate for children's rights worldwide.
We mourn the loss of a person who felt compassion and acted on it. His legacy will live on in the work of Terre des Hommes Germany and in the commitment of many people.
Lutz Beisel died on June 25, 2026 in Tuttlingen after a short, serious illness at the age of 88.
Audio interview with Lutz Beisel from June 2, 2026
On June 2nd, our employee Birgit Dittrich visited Terre des Hommes founder Lutz Beisel in Tuttlingen and conducted an interview with him.
Lutz Beisel, founder of Terre des Hommes Germany, has given many interviews throughout his life about the beginnings of the children's aid organization and his motivations. When we visit him on June 2, 2026, in his hometown in Baden-Württemberg, he greets us with a mischievous smile: "Well, don't you know yet?"
Lutz Beisel was 88 years old at this point. His body had weakened, and speaking for extended periods was difficult for him. It was audible. But his mind and conviction remained unbroken.
Without a trace of vanity, Beisel recounts how the suffering of children injured in the Vietnam War awakened in him the desire to do something to counter the atrocities. He tells of his journey to meet Edmond Kaiser, the Swiss founder of Terre des Hommes , with whom he immediately felt a close connection. "We were inseparable," he says in the interview. Edmond Kaiser showed him how to transform compassion into concrete action.
Back in Germany, Lutz Beisel found like-minded individuals. On January 8, 1967, he and 40 others founded Terre des Hommes Germany. He recounts how they collectively succeeded in growing the organization, and what skills and attitudes were required.
Ultimately, it's about more than just the story of a children's aid organization. Beisel speaks about the human capacity for compassion and the strength that can arise from it – not through top-down assistance, but on equal footing, between people who treat each other with dignity and respect.
Lutz Beisel articulates his concern with great clarity: We must help ensure that the world remains habitable. That it is a good place to live. This requires not only government action, but also civil society organizations and individuals who take responsibility out of an inner conviction.
As we leave the house after the interview and stand in front of the door, we feel deep respect and the desire to participate in the "Earth of Humanity".
Lutz Beisel died on June 25, 2026, a few weeks after the interview. We will not forget him.
Listen now