Terre des Hommes loses subsidy

The aid organization Terre des Hommes will not receive a subsidy from the government for the next five years. State Secretary Knapen for Development Cooperation has decided.

The State Secretary says that the applications from aid organizations for subsidies have been assessed and that those of Terre des Hommes, an organization that combats child exploitation, does not meet the quality requirements.

Eight million

Terre des Hommes says that the decision means it has eight million euros less to spend. According to the organization, this is at the expense of small-scale projects in the Third World.

The organization is not only dependent on government subsidies. Seventy percent of the income is provided by donors.

Cuts

The subsidy stop for Terre des Hommes is separate from the announced cuts to development cooperation.

In total, 67 relief organizations receive more than 2 billion euros. "But", says State Secretary Knapen, "there is a budget reservation for this amount. In December, the House of Representatives has yet to pronounce on the budget for Development Cooperation. Only then can we say exactly what we will be spending".

The Rutte cabinet wants to reduce spending on development cooperation by twelve percent in the coming years.

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