Terre des hommes and quality
Since the mid-1990s, Terre des hommes has been engaged in wide-ranging institutional development towards the improvement of the quality of its interventions and to become a ‘learning’ organisation.


For Terre des hommes, ‘to capitalize is to create a shared experience’. Identifying best practices takes multiple forms. In timely and spontaneous practice for some time within its delegations and at its headquarters, capitalization has been a systematic process since 2001, when the project cycle manual was introduced. This manual identifies 7 key stages: preliminary steps – a strategic plan – an operational programme – implementation – monitoring/evaluation – readjustment.


In order to consolidate its institutional memory, bringing together and sharing what it learns through its successes and failures, Terre des hommes has placed strategic priority on the progressive implementation of a system of capitalization on several levels:
- Capitalization by project cycle: created by field teams on one or more experiences related to a project
- Thematic capitalization: through a system of resource personnel specialised in the priority intervention areas defined in the Foundation’s strategic plan.


ZEWO: Terre des hommes recognized as a public service
Terre des hommes has been recognized as a ‘Public Service Foundation’ by the Central Office of Public Service Foundations (ZEWO) since its inception in 1960. The ZEWO quality mark guarantees the conscientious use of your donation (see the accounts in the Annual Report, showing that Terre des hommes keeps its administrative expenses to 16%).
ZEWO is the association which brings together many members, institutions, organisations and individuals, and has worked since 1934 in the service of public service institutions throughout Switzerland.


ISO: Terre des hommes certified ISO 9001
Since the year 1999, Terre des hommes has been certified ISO 900, an international norm which specifies requirements relative to management systems, and monitors quality and processes to improve systems.