Economic Growth India Project #20121

Together for a more just and caring society

by Fundacion Vicente Ferrer

Project Report | Jul 22, 2026
Commitment to Childhood

By Aida Maia | Fundraiser

Philippines_Education

Vicente Ferrer once said, “Everything that happens to you happens to me. You cannot look at suffering without feeling it within yourself. You can choose to look away or not, but that suffering affects you too. And when you truly realize that, you feel responsible. Then you ask yourself: What can I do?”

Since its foundation, Fundación Vicente Ferrer (FVF) has been working in India to transform the lives of the most vulnerable communities in the country’s southern regions. Over the past 57 years, the Foundation has built a strong legacy of promoting social justice, inclusion, and equal opportunities for all.

Working alongside rural communities, FVF advances sustainable development initiatives that enhance people’s well-being, strengthen local capacities, and support environmental stewardship, with a special focus on children and young people.

Across all our interventions, we mainstream gender equality and climate action, ensuring that the communities we support are better equipped to thrive, adapt, and build a sustainable future.

Commitment to Childhood

When we accept child poverty, we expose an even greater problem: a lack of values across society. Children have unique needs that call for profound action. Our mission is to ensure that every child can grow and thrive with equity, dignity, and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Children in the Global South are at the heart of the Foundation’s mission. We believe that childhood cannot wait, which is why ensuring that children have the opportunities, resources, and support they need to grow, learn, and reach their full potential is one of our highest priorities.

Working across seven countries, we share a common goal: to ensure that every girl and boy participating in our programs has the opportunity to thrive and build a better future.

Our approach is tailored to the unique realities of each country and community. By addressing specific local challenges with innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions, we seek to create lasting impact. To achieve this, we work in close partnership with organizations that possess deep local knowledge and expertise, ensuring that our interventions are relevant, responsive, and rooted in the communities we serve.

The Foundation carries out a wide range of initiatives to promote the well-being and development of children, addressing key areas such as:

Education: Promoting access to and continuity in education through tutoring schools, scholarships at all levels, including higher education, promotion of social integration through sport, providing bicycles to secondary school students.
Disability support: Promoting inclusion through specialized schools and educational centers that address the diverse needs of children with disabilities, alongside rehabilitation services, early intervention, and adapted sports programs.
Health and Hygiene: Improving access to healthcare, hospital services, medical treatment, nutrition programs, and sexual and reproductive health care and education.
Community Networks: Supporting families, strengthening local village committees, promoting children's clubs, and encouraging girls' leadership and active community participation.

The impact that backs us

9.691 higher education scholarships for teenagers in India.
Medical follow-up for 2,600 minors with HIV in Mozambique.
475 scholarships to ensure the continuation of education for rural children in the Philippines.
Nutritional support for 1,044 preschool children with malnutrition in Sri Lanka.
Psychosocial support for 4,800 girls, boys, and teenagers in Gaza.

OUR ACTION IN INDIA

WHY

In 1969, Vicente and Anne Ferrer launched a process of social transformation in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, with the goal of eradicating rural poverty through an integrated development approach.

Today, we work alongside Rural Development Trust (RDT), partnering with rural communities, local authorities, and community organizations to build sustainable solutions that improve lives and expand opportunities for future generations.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Equality, inclusion, and rights

Advancing women’s economic and social empowerment through housing initiatives, community-based support networks, and access to financial resources and opportunities.
Promoting inclusion, active participation, and equal opportunities of people with disabilities within their communities.
From 2024 to 2025: 90,632 women and 25,452 people with disabilities participated in community support groups (sanghams), strengthening their social inclusion, collective action, and access to opportunities.

For Education: Access to and continuity of education

Ensuring access to quality education and helping students remain in school through community-based learning initiatives, dropout prevention measures.
Offering scholarship programs that expand opportunities for higher education and future employment.
From 2024 to 2025: 1,040 remedial schools were operating in rural communities; 9,691 young people received scholarships to continue their education.

For Health: Specialized healthcare

Ensuring access to quality healthcare for underserved rural populations through a comprehensive healthcare network, with a particular focus on maternal and child health.
Delivering comprehensive prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care services for communicable diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis.
From 2024 to 2025: 764,444 hospital consultations were delivered; 8,268 people received HIV treatment and care.

WERE

Rural: states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Southeast India)

OUR ACTION IN NEPAL

WHY

Poverty continues to affect millions of people in Nepal, while many children remain at risk of child labor, early marriage, and exclusion from opportunities that can shape their future.

We partner with Nepali organizations specializing in disability inclusion, sustainable livelihoods, and child rights protection to support sustainable and lasting change.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Child Labor and Child Marriage.

One in four children is involved in child labor.
Promoting children's rights through community and government awareness initiatives.
Providing protection, psychosocial support, and reintegration services for girls and adolescent survivors of violence and abuse.
From 2025 to 2026: 1,650 children took part in children's clubs; 2,180 children benefited from awareness-raising initiatives designed to strengthen the protection of children's rights.

For Education: Early Access to Quality Education

Approximately 800,000 children are out of school.
Providing school supplies, teacher training, and community awareness programs.
Building classrooms and learning spaces for migrant children.
From 2025 to 2026: 125 children enrolled in learning support classes; 300 children received school supplies and educational materials.

For Health: Disability and Mental Health

One in three children with disabilities live in isolation.
Providing comprehensive support and care for children with cerebral palsy in rural communities.
Offering diagnosis, treatment, and specialized care in mental and reproductive health.
From 2025 to 2026: 1,138 children with disabilities received support and care; 1,050 caregivers benefited from specialized services and assistance.

WERE

Rural: Central Highlands; Terai Plains
Peri-urban: Kathmandu Valley (temporary migrant communities)

OUR ACTION IN SRI LANKA

WHY

The country is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its recent history. Poverty has tripled, and thousands of mothers have been forced to migrate in search of livelihoods, placing children at heightened risk and in an increasingly vulnerable situation.

We partner with Sri Lankan organizations specialized in local community development, children's right, quality education, and girls' well-being and empowerment.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Safe Spaces and Rights

One in three children is affected by online sexual violence.
Supporting children through child development centers and community-based social work initiatives.
Promoting awareness and education on children's rights.
From 2025 to 2026: 135 government officials trained; 10,734 children reached through awareness-raising activities.

For education: Early Access to Quality Services

Two-thirds of vulnerable adolescents drop out of school.
Expanding access to education for vulnerable children.
Strengthening and improving early childhood education centers in tea plantation communities.
From 2025 to 2026: 902 children benefited from preschool education; 3,669 children received school supplies and educational materials.

For Health: Menstrual Poverty and Food Insecurity

Six out of ten families are unable to afford three meals a day.
Providing food parcels and nutritious meals to vulnerable children and families.
Distributing menstrual hygiene products and delivering sexual and reproductive health education.
From 2024 to 2025: 1,514 adolescents received sexual and reproductive health education; 1,002 people received nutritional support.

WERE

Rural: Nuwara Eliya Tea Plantations
Urban: Settlements in Colombo

OUR ACTION IN THE PHILIPINES

WHY

Poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis are exacerbating violence against children and reducing access to healthcare and education, disproportionately affecting girls and boys from Indigenous communities.

We partner with Philippine organizations specialized in Child protection, Community health, and Indigenous peoples’ rights.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Safe Spaces and Rights

Three out of five children are affected by violence or live in street situations.
Supporting child shelters and safe spaces for vulnerable children.
Providing legal and psychosocial support.
Delivering training and awareness-raising on children's rights.
From 2025 to 2026: 293 children received legal support; 7,028 children educated on their rights and protection issues.

For Education: Early Access to Quality Services

Eight out of ten children lack access to early childhood education.
Providing vulnerable children with access to quality education.
Constructing a preschool center in an Indigenous community.
From 2025 to 2026: 61 children enrolled in preschool centers; 534 children received school supplies.

For Health: Tuberculosis Prevention and Control

The Philippines has the fourth-highest number of tuberculosis cases in the world.
Preventing tuberculosis through community mobilization and engagement
Training healthcare workers in health centers.
From 2024 to 2025: 18 community health volunteers trained; 2,689 families received follow-up and support services.

WERE

Rural: Mindanao (Bukidnon); Mindoro (Puerto Galera)
Peri-urban: Luzon (Metro Manila, Rizal, and Laguna)

OUR ACTION IN PALESTINE

WHY

More than half of Gaza’s population are children whose lives have been profoundly affected by armed conflict. Many have lost family members, been displaced from their homes, and seen their access to education disrupted, putting their safety, well-being, and future at risk.

We work in partnership with organizations that have deep roots in and extensive knowledge of the local context, Palestinian Organization for Development and CreArt Association.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Safe shelter and psychosocial support

Over 60,000 children killed or wounded.
Supporting shelters with essential supplies and mental health care
Providing protection training.
From 2025 to 2026: 4,800 children received psychosocial support; 720 caregivers trained.

For Health: Pediatric surgical care in Spain

Over 100,000 buildings, including hospitals, destroyed.
Implementing a specialized program that provides trauma-informed care, psychological support, and emotional recovery services for children in Spain.

WERE

Urban: Gaza

OUR ACTION IN MOZAMBIQUE

WHY

Child marriage, extreme poverty, and the impact of HIV/AIDS continue to threaten the rights, health, and future of children and young people, especially girls.

We collaborate with Mozambican organizations specialized in public health, child protection, and women’s rights to promote lasting change and expand opportunities for vulnerable communities.

WHAT WE DO

For Protection: Safe Spaces and Rights

Nearly six in ten girls become mothers before reaching adulthood.
Promoting protection and empowerment of girls by preventing early unions.
Reducing and eliminating gender-based violence in all its forms.

For Health: HIV eradication

One in four adults is living with HIV.
Early detection and follow-up to reduce viral load.
Strengthening health systems and community networks.

For Health: Supporting El Carmelo Hospital

Remote and underserved populations with limited access to health services.
Strengthening the hospital’s medical and healthcare services, with a focus on HIV, tuberculosis, and malnutrition.

WERE

Rural: Gaza Province, southern Mozambique

Mozambique_Community awareness

Palestine_Supporting children

Nepal_Migrant children

Sri Lanka_Tea plantation

India_Education

Links:

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Jan 22, 2026
FVF expands its labor to Mozambique

By FVF Communication | Communication Team

Dr. Elsa Jordao Zhita, Carmelos's Director

Fundación Vicente Ferrer expands its labor to Mozambique

The organization begins its work in the country to curb HIV/AIDS after the withdrawal of international funding

Health and Wellness challenge

Fundación Vicente Ferrer (FVF) views Health as an essential human right encompassing physical, mental and social well-being beyond the mere absence of illness or diseases. From this perspective, it promotes a person-centered approach, recognizing individuals not only as users of the Health System but also as rights holders.

The full experience this right constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of its work, especially in contexts marked by profound structural inequalities that hinder access to essential services. Within this framework, the experience accumulated over 30 years of experience working to reduce this epidemic in India and aims to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS among minors and pregnant women in the African country, which has the second-highest incidence rate of the epidemic worldwide.

FVF’s main lines of action in Mozambique

Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
Reduction of gaps that hinder equitable access to health, with special attention to women and children.

Caring for people, transforming the future

Mozambique, a context where health deficiencies are especially urgent and require immediate intervention. Located on the southeast coast of Africa, has a population of 33 million people, of which 52% are under 18 years old. This young majority represents an opportunity for economic development, but it also poses significant challenges in health, education and employment.

The country faces a complex context marked by structural poverty, severe inequality, and very limited access to essential services. These factors place the country among those with the worst living conditions in the world, with an average life expectancy of around 63 years.

Deep inequalities particularly affect children, with 48% of girls and boys living in extreme poverty, high rates of child labor and school dropout, which increases significantly among girls due to child marriage, early pregnancy, domestic work overload, and sexual harassment in their environments. These vulnerabilities reflect structural gender inequalities, especially in rural areas, where women bear the burden of household care and agriculture without access to resources or decision-making spaces. Although some matrilocal regions offer women greater community influence, this does no offset the overall inequalities.

Despite the fact that the country has a legal framework recognizing the right to health and specific policies on HIV/AIDS, state capacity is limited. Reduction in international aid, primarily from USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, makes things worse.

Rural vulnerability and critical health challenges

Over 70% of the population lives in rural areas, where the highest poverty rate is concentrated, gender gaps deepen, and access to public health is even more precarious than in other regions, especially in remote areas. Most depend on subsistence agriculture, which is highly affected by recurrent droughts and floods, exacerbating food insecurity and limiting access to adequate nutrition.

AIDS remains the leading cause of death, and almost a 12.5% of his population live with the virus. It is the second country in the world where more people lives with it. Besides, around 42% of people with tuberculosis do not receive treatment within the public health system, 37% of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition, and 52% of women of reproductive age have anemia.

In this context, Mozambique represents a strategic priority for FVF’s work in the field of the right to health. Its recognized experience in maternal and child health, combating infectious diseases, and strengthening community networks in rural areas provides an opportunity to generate impact, synergies, and knowledge transfer.

In the face of urgent need to strengthen equitable access to health, FVF’s presence and model contribute significantly to the overall well-being of the most vulnerable population, especially women and children.

Carmelo Hospital

Fundación Vicente Ferrer aims to contribute to improving access to and quality of health services in rural areas of the country, focusing its efforts on ensuring the operation of Carmelo Hospital, located in the Chókwè district, in the province of Gaza, Mozambique, which serves more than 48,000 patients annually. This region faces multiple challenges: geographical dispersion, difficult access to healthcare services, and socioeconomic conditions that increase the population's vulnerability, reinforcing the hospital's strategic importance in local healthcare coverage.

“The reduction of international funds has a huge impact on patients, medicines, counseling, and awareness talks for those living far away. Practically, everything is coming to halt.” Dr. Elsa Jordão Zhita, clinical director of Carmelo Hospital.

Carmelo is a leading public healthcare center located in a rural area severely affected by diseases such tuberculosis, malnutrition, and HIV, in which has a pioneering role in the diagnosis and treatment since the 1990s. This historical leadership continues today: in 2024, more than 8,000 people received antiretroviral therapy (ART), reinforcing the center's active role in the clinical management of HIV.

FVF's support ensures the Hospital's operation, especially in outpatient consultations, hospitalization and laboratory, in order to guarantee accessible, comprehensive care adapted to the priorities of the population. The goals are:

To guarantee comprehensive and continuous medical care, with special attention to HIV and tuberculosis, to ensure adequate hospital capacity, to strengthen the laboratory and to improve clinical follow-up.
To develop social, nutritional, and community support actions, especially in maternal and child health and in vulnerable groups, contributing to improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

Carmelo Hospital Laboratory

Carmelo Hospital Outpatient Care

Carmelo Hospital Inpatients

Carmelo Hospital Waiting Room

Mobile Health Unit

Links:

THE CARMELO HOSPITAL

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Aug 5, 2025
Childhood in South Asia

By FVF Communication | Communication Team

FUNDACIÓN VICENTE FERRER BROADENS ITS HORIZONS

For over 50 years, the Fundación Vicente Ferrer has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged communities in India. Throughout this journey, we have relied on the support of donors like you. Our donors' commitment has been fundamental to transforming the situation of these communities and promoting the fight against discrimination, inequality, and poverty. Based on our positive experience in India, we aspire to share our knowledge and learnings with others countries, especially with families and communities in situations of vulnerability and poverty. We believe that committed people, solidarity, and the power of care are the most powerful resources for transforming the world around us. Growing inequalities and the state of our world make good deeds and care more necessary than ever.

Our goal is to share our experience and all that we have built in India, and Nepal is the first of many destinations we wish to reach.

A commitment to childhood in South Asia

After dedicating more than five decades to rural communities in India, we are expanding our work to promote children's rights in South Asia. The Asian continent is facing emerging challenges, such as overpopulation and forced migration, which increasingly compromise the well-being and development of children. The negative consequences of these challenges are becoming increasingly. The situation of children in the South Asia region has reached a critical point.

Poverty and increasing inequality are forcing many children to abandon their studies, work in extreme conditions, and migrate with their families to meet their most basic needs. In the face of this reality, we aim to leverage our experience working with children in India to develop solutions that will improve the living conditions of girls and boys in countries such as Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Data on the situation of children in South Asia reveal a disturbing reality in a region that is home to 36% of the world's children under the age of 18.

Education and Gender: 31.8 million children do not attend school. Additionally, only one in three girls makes it to upper secondary school.
Child Undernutrition: More than one in three children (38%) live in extreme food poverty, and nearly half of children under five are undernourished.
Child Labor: One out of every eight children between the ages of 5 and 14 is engaged in child labor. Furthermore, nearly half of these children perform hazardous work.

Childhood cannot wait

Children are among the groups most affected by the consequences of poverty. A lack of access to education and the practice of child labor can have a profound and lasting impact, affecting their expectations for the future and perpetuating the cycle of poverty throughout their lives. To improve the living conditions and future opportunities of children in South Asia, we are developing four lines of action:

Empowering through education. After years of efforts in India to educate the most vulnerable children, inspiring results have emerged: many children have succeeded in breaking the cycle of poverty. Therefore, we will continue to work in South Asian countries to ensure that all children have access to quality education.
Child protection: ensuring a safe environment for children. Our experience in India has shown us that children's well-being improves when they grow up in a safe and secure environment. Building on this experience, we will work in South Asia to empower children and families by teaching them about children's rights and how to protect them.
Support for Vulnerable Families. Poverty and lack of opportunities experienced by children are closely tied to their family circumstances. To address this issue, we will provide training and economic support to strengthen the family environment.
Support for Children with Disabilities. Since our inception in India, we have recognized the unique vulnerability of children with disabilities. With this in mind, we will continue our work in South Asia to ensure these children receive the necessary rehabilitation to help them overcome the barriers that accentuate their vulnerability.

SEE THE INTERACTIVE DOCUMENT CHILDHOOD IN ASIA AT THE LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR WORK.

Links:

CHILDHOOD ASIA

Attachments:

CHILDHOOD ASIA (PDF)

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