About Us

We are a non-profit organization focused on generating concrete actions to promote the prenatal prevention of diseases and deficiencies in unborn children. We focus on the preconception, prenatal and early childhood stages up to 2 years of life.

We are registered in the Netherlands and we have more than 35 years of experience working in Latin America, at the moment we are in Ecuador (regional office), Bolivia, Honduras and El Salvador.

OUR MISSION

Contribute to the construction of a culture of prenatal and postnatal prevention of deficiencies and diseases that can cause disabilities, through awareness-raising actions, inter-agency and cross-sectoral coordination and training aimed at create better conditions and opportunities for boys and girls.

OUR VISION

Be a leader in preventing deficiencies and diseases that cause disability in the prenatal and postnatal stages with a sustainable and culturally respectful management model that promotes a healthy society of children who take advantage of all their potentialities and capabilities.

INSTITUTIONAL VIDEO: Prevention of disabilities and deficiencies

Our principle is to serve priority groups, for this reason we invest in reaching the most remote places, where professionals have less training opportunities.

We work with national and international allies, and we have agreements with universities that support our work.

Learn more in our institutional video.

“To change the world, we must first change the way we are born”

Michel Odent

WAAL FOUNDATION TRAJECTORY

In order to support children with disabilities in 1985, our founder created the Waal Foundation in the Netherlands.

Learn more about our history in the following timeline.

CREATION OF THE FOUNDATION OF WAAL (FDW) IN UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS

It begins its work with the professionalization of 80,000 educators from 3,000 institutions that work with street children and youth with disabilities through two centers in Bolivia. This cooperation journey made it possible to benefit more than a million street children and youth with disabilities.

NOVEMBER 1, 1985 - DECEMBER 15, 1997

LATIN AMERICA

The FDW promotes the integration of people with disabilities into society in 5 Latin American countries in coordination with more than 2,000 institutions. The work has a focus on Comprehensive Rehabilitation in the Community (RIC) and benefits some 500,000 people, including NGOs, the media, community organizations, educators and public institutions.

NOVEMBER 16, 1993 - NOVEMBER 16, 2001

PRENATAL

It focuses on disability prevention through its PreNatal program. It offers training in a pyramidal shape with the Superior and Middle levels. Launch of ABC and 3 + 9 campaigns with the key messages of PreNatal and work through workshops, health fairs, community mobilization actions to raise awareness of the reproductive age population. Implementation of a video workshop Without Harm to Third Parties to promote the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

1999 — 2014

TICS

Use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) to enhance the training process. The creation of a PreNatal Virtual Classroom with interactive digital resources that facilitate learning is highlighted. Implementation of the D of Giving Love in our PreNatal ABCD.

2015 — 2016

BASIC PRENATAL LEVEL

At present: Incorporation of the Basic level to the PreNatal program. Proposal for a community approach with Popular Education methodology for the training of Promoters in prevention. Implementation of actions in service through home visits, health fairs, radio programs, role plays, among others.

2016

NEONATAL ALLIANCE

The Waal Foundation is accepted as a member of the Neonatal Alliance for Latin America and the Caribbean.

2018

International Course

In the context of the pandemic, the FdW launched the International Course on Prevention and Promotion of Maternal and Child Health and exit strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an instrument that made it possible to train agents of change who respond to the health situation, in which pregnancy planning, pregnant women, unborn babies, newborns and children up to two years of age, are in a situation of high vulnerability. For the first time, professionals from 5 countries participated in a training process and jointly generated actions with the target population to advance with the necessary culture of prevention.

2020