Our Plans for 2024
The number of children affected by war and violence is reaching new highs - and the available funds to meet their needs are in real terms shrinking. This funding shortfall means that new approaches are required - which is why 2024 will see War Child Netherlands join other War Child entities as part of the War Child Alliance.
The War Child Alliance will be made up of our fundraising bodies in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States and our 14 international country operations. Its members will work together through a global ‘shared platform’ that will provide ongoing management and oversight together with a new strategy to guide our worldwide operations.
The Alliance will allow its members to pool resources and enhance efficiencies - and its horizontal organizational structure will ensure that decisions are taken closer to the children and communities we serve.
This process will see War Child Holland become War Child Netherlands. The new organisation will have a greater focus on fundraising and public campaigning but will still manage and implement programmes in support of refugee youth in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe.
2024 will also see the ongoing development of our Care System - a set of ‘Evidence-Based Methodologies’ that together make up an integrated care and support system to address the various needs of conflict-affected children. Our Research and Development (R&D) team will continue to develop the evidence base to ensure each methodology meets quantifiable standards of quality.
The development of the Care System will be supported through our new Scaling Strategy - designed to allow for the cost-effective and sustainable scaling of each methodology through partner organisations worldwide. Five methodologies will be further developed for scaling in 2024: our flagship ed-tech programme Can’t Wait to Learn: TeamUp: Reach Now: WeACT: and caregiver support intervention Be There.
A robust vision on localisation will be developed over the course of 2024 - one supported by input from our country and regional teams. Our team in Uganda will develop a long-term engagement plan involving 15 community-based organisations and national organisations. In Syria and Jordan our team will expand its network of partner organisations and work to ensure that local actors play an increased role in both programme implementation and strategy development.
The launch of the shared platform will see renewed emphasis placed on building our organisational culture - with new efforts to both set out and fund our values, beliefs and commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). This process will see the HR, Safeguarding and Integrity teams come together as a single People and Culture team - led by a new Director of People and Culture.