history

Children’s welfare stamps have been around for as long as most Dutch people can remember. In 1924 the Dutch government decided by Royal Decree to issue these special stamps with a small surcharge earmarked for the benefit of disadvantaged children. The stamps were then printed, volunteers were found to sell them and a foundation was established to allocate the proceeds. This was the predecessor of the Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland.

fundraising

The children’s welfare stamps campaign was a success from the beginning, and it still is. Every year a new series of children’s stamps and several collections of greeting cards are designed for the benefit of children living in disadvantaged circumstances. Hundreds of thousands of children from the top grades of primary schools and a national network of thousands of volunteers carry out the campaign. Every autumn some 200,000 schoolchildren go from door to door, selling the new collection of children’s stamps and greeting cards in order to raise money for their less privileged peers.

Each year half the proceeds of the children’s stamps campaign go to projects in the Netherlands, while the other half is allocated to projects outside the Netherlands. These projects are set up to improve the position of disadvantaged children. The main point is that all children should have equal opportunities to grow up and become independent adults with a respected place in society. Where this opportunity is at risk, the Kinderpostzegels tries to help.