Kindernothilfe (German for "Supporting children in need") was founded in Germany in 1959 as a Christian organisation to support vulnerable and marginalized children and youth to develop their full potentials. Kindernothilfe Austria was founded in 1996, followed by Kindernothilfe Switzerland in 2004 and Kindernothilfe Luxembourg in 2009.

We partner with local non-governmental organisations to implement 609 projects in 32 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean; most of them are faith-based and ecumenically Christian.

Kindernothilfe’s global head office is located in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with coordination structures in nearly all partner countries. Projects and programs are mainly funded through private donations (more than 80% from individual donors and 20% from public and institutional donors).

Today, we rank among the largest NGOs for development cooperation in Germany. Our work is supported by tens of thousands of donors and many associations, groups, companies, schools, foundations, church- and charitable organizations, communities, etc. support us financially and through volunteer work. Celebrities take advantage of their fame to publicize our concerns. The Kindernothilfe Foundation and Kindernothilfe-Organizations in Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg are increasing our reputation in the German-speaking countries and supporting our project work.

In recognition of our responsible use of donations, we have received the DZI donations seal of approval on an annual basis since 1992. Within the scope of the Transparency Award of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Germany, we have been honoured numerous times for our high-quality and transparent reporting.