Helping Children
Empowering Children, Building a Brighter Future.
World Children Improvement Foundation in Asia
World Children Improvement Foundation (WCIF) partners with grassroots organizations around the world to help children and youth reach their full potential and advance their rights. By pairing flexible funding with targeted capacity development services, we support community-led groups to shift social norms, policies, and practices to foster lasting change for children and youth. Since 2014, WCIF has supported over 46 local organizations in Asia, working across issues such as youth entrepreneurship, girls’ education, integration of displaced children, health education, and climate change.
Fostering Youth Leadership in Thailand
This three-year initiative is a partnership between
the Algot Enevoldsen Foundation and WCIF. It aims
to foster youth involvement in governance,
programming, and elevating youth voices in local
communities and organizations as well as to
empower local organizations to create sustainable
change.
The goal of this initiative is to support youth
leadership in community-based organizations in
Thailand. WCIF is committed to advancing
meaningful youth engagement and to promoting
the sharing of decision-making power with young
people, who are often excluded from formal
leadership positions. Our local partners in this
initiative receive capacity development that
empowers them to foster youth leadership and
that supports innovation in methodology,
participation, programming, and relationships
within the cohort and individual organizations.
This initiative also helps the partners connect with
one another, share their knowledge and
resources, and develop collective impacts in
Thailand.
Addressing Root Causes (ARC)
The South Asian nations of India, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are collectively
home to the largest youth population in the
world, with more than 600 million young people
between the ages of 15 and 24. According to
UNICEF, the region has both the highest number
of child laborers (with an estimated 80 million
children impacted by various forms of labor-based
exploitation) and the highest number of children
on the move - the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) reports that there
were over 7 million people displaced by conflict in
South Asia as of 2021, a significant proportion of
whom are under the age of 18.
World Children Improvement Foundation (WCIF) launched the
Addressing Root Causes [ARC] initiative in
February 2023. The development of this new
initiative was directly informed by learnings from
WCIF’s pilot of a participatory design and
assessment framework with community-based
organizations in India which was funded by
Seamont Foundation from 2018-2023.
With seed funding from We Trust Foundation, the
primary objective of the ARC Initiative is to
address the root causes of exploitation –
especially those that affect children and youth –
throughout five South Asia countries: India,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Using an approach that centers both community
participation and youth leadership, the initiative
which began in Bangladesh, will now be expanded
to India to Nepal in 2024, leveraging additional
funding from the PPL foundation and Seamont
Foundation.
Partnership to Educate All Kids (PEAK)
World Children Improvement Foundation (WCIF) supports local
organizations in South Asia that are helping kids
who have experienced pandemic-related
education disruptions access and thrive in
learning environments that prepare them for
future success. The Partnership to Educate All Kids
(PEAK) initiative is supported by the LEGO
Foundation. It fosters the learning and
development of children aged 6 to 12 by:
• Enabling local organizations to sustain or
expand their work ensuring children are
able to access education and return to
classrooms, while addressing learning gaps
• Developing capacity to integrate learning
through play into educational activities so
that children can engage in playful learning
that sparks creativity and instills a love of
education Strengthening networks for
advocacy and learning
• Strengthening networks for advocacy and
learning so that community-based
organizations can connect, exchange
learnings, and share innovations.
Spark Fund Climate Change Resilience Fund
Climate change disproportionately impacts
children and youth, yet they are often excluded
from efforts to address it. This is especially true in
Southeast Asia, one of the world’s most at-risk
regions for the impacts of climate change, where
extreme weather events are already fuelling
internal displacement, food shortages, and other
problems.
In February 2023, WCIF launched a participatory
grantmaking initiative to support youth-led
climate action in Southeast Asia. This two-year
initiative – which is supported by generous
contributions from Porticus, the Avery Dennison
Foundation, RS Group, and Lien Aid – will provide
flexible funding, capacity development, and
networking opportunities to youth-led climate
resilience efforts and place key funding decisions
in the hands of young people across Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
Increasing Opportunities for Children with Disabilities
In partnership between the Dorothea Haus Ross
Foundation, WCIF supports four community-based
organizations in India and Thailand which are
advocating for greater inclusion for children and
youth with disabilities and ensuring they have
access to quality education and medical care. Our
partners empower children and youth with
disabilities by meeting their educational needs
and promoting inclusive and accessible learning
environments; ensuring they have access to
quality health care, including therapies and
technology solutions; and advocating for their
inclusion and changing mindsets that limit their
opportunities
Preventing Child Trafficking in Asia and Eurasia
WCIF’s local partners in this initiative are
preventing the exploitation of children and youth
and helping trafficking survivors to rebuild their
lives with dignity. They are located in India,
Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand. These organizations are
preventing and responding to child trafficking by
empowering children and youth – particularly girls
– to defend their rights through education and
leadership programs; advocating for new
legislation and public policies that protect and
promote the rights of girls; working to reduce
gender-based violence, child marriage, and bride
kidnapping through community outreach and
public awareness campaigns; and promoting the
rehabilitation and reintegration of trafficking
survivors. This initiative is in collaboration with
the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation.
About us
World Children Improvement Foundation (WCIF) is an international organization dedicated to ensuring the well-being of children worldwide. We work through education, healthcare, rehabilitation and vocational training to nurture the potential of every child, including street children. WCIF believes that every child deserves a safe and healthy environment to thrive. We are committed to ensuring that right. Would you like me to draft the
In the fight for children’s rights, Global Fund for Children champions bold ideas that would otherwise go unheard. We are a global nonprofit dedicated to discovering, funding, and coaching truly community-based organizations and individuals that advance the rights of children and youth.
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Our Mission
WCIF's mission is to work collaboratively with local and international partners to ensure the fundamental rights of underprivileged children; to provide them with access to education and scholarships; and to raise awareness and implement programs for their health and safety. We are committed to ensuring that every child receives a safe, secure, and nurturing environment to thrive and prosper.
Our Vision
WCIF's vision is to create a world where every child has the opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential; where no child suffers from lack of access to education, healthcare, or a safe haven. We are committed to building a compassionate, equitable, and inclusive world.
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Senior Management Team
Jane Doe
Vice President, Charitable Grants and Compliance
Ana Eli
Controller
James Bunt
Director of Human Resources
Dr. M H Ananda
Founder