A happy life for all children
International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) is a knowledge organization in psychosocial development of children and young people growing up in difficult circumstances. ICDI believes in the power of children and young people, supporting their rights and addressing the underlying causes of the problems they face.
We aim to improve policies and practices by building the skills of: children, mothers, fathers, families, communities, local organizations, and authorities. ICDI also works with and for bigger international children's rights organizations, supporting knowledge transfer through training, research, and advice.
From Nepal to Nicaragua, and from Kiev to Katwijk, our dream is ‘a happy life for all children’. Serious and sincere, academic and practical, small and with major impact, ICDI has been promoting psychosocial well-being of children and young people for more than twenty-five years.
Find an example of what we do in this short video.
Our staff
We are a small but dedicated group of professionals with academic backgrounds in the social sciences. Our organization consists of people with extensive experience in child and youth related issues. We work on two themes: Early Years (0-8 years) and Children and Youth (8-21 years). The salaries of ICDI staff (including the director) are based on the collective employment agreement for Dutch universities.
What we do ›-
Asia Koerten
Co-Director -
Giulia Cortellesi
Co-Director -
Sarah de Vos
Senior Programme Manager -
Mariana Palazuelos
Programme Manager -
Ketevan Sulava
Programme Manager -
Catarina Alves
Junior Programme Manager -
Luisa Tesch
Junior Programme Manager -
Enid McLean
Intern -
Filothei Kydoniati
Intern -
Una Vujičić
Intern -
Yorine Verhoeven
Intern -
Nico van Oudenhoven
Senior Associate -
Rekha Wazir
Senior Associate
Our board
ICDI's board members do their work on a voluntary basis and do not receive any remuneration for their activities. The board meets at least three times a year. ICDI's board consists of between three to seven members, who are appointed for a five-year period (re-election possible).
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Mathijs Euwema (chair)
Mathijs was the Director of ICDI for 14 years until 2021 and is currently the Director of a Welfare... -
Esha van der Hulst (treasurer)
Esha is the Director of Operations of War Child the Netherlands, and her background is in managerial... -
Sumnima Tuladhar (board member)
Sumnima is the Executive Coordinator of one of the largest and oldest child rights NGOs Cwin in Nepa... -
Rutger van Oudenhoven (board member)
Rutger was Senior Programme Manager of ICDI for 17 years until 2021 and is currently Programme Manag...
Committee of Recommendation
The members of the Committee of Recommendation support the mission and vision of ICDI. They are renowned dignitaries and experts in their respective fields. You can click on the below statements to read more about why they believe in our work.