Children on the Edge
non-profit organisation
Children on the Edge is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to working on behalf of some of the most marginalised children around the world.
The organisation is based in Chichester, England and was founded by the owner of The Body Shop, Dame Anita Roddick, (DBE) in 1990 following her visit to several Romanian orphanages. It was co-founded by Rachel Bentley (OBE), who has led the organisation to this day.
Children on the Edge started off in Romanian orphanages, but has since expanded to cover over 18 countries throughout Eastern Europe and Asia, including Bangladesh, Burma, India, Thailand, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Uganda. The charity exists to help children who are living on the edge of their societies around the world. They focus on some of the most marginalised children, who are overlooked by governments, larger organisations, the media and the international community.We use our size to innovate, test, and refine high-quality education and protection models for children living on the edge. This is what we call ‘the mosquito effect ’-stemming from our Co-founder Anita Roddick’s much-loved quote “If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito”. With our sharp focus, we can raise standards across the sector, creating benchmarks that can be scaled by much larger agencies.
History
1990–1999
After Anita Roddick visited Romania for the first time in 1990, The Body Shop until 1996 undertook refurbishment of three orphanages, provided medical help, and organised annual play schemes. At this time the organisation were entitled "The Body Shop Romania Relief Appeal".
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