20 November 2016

Children's Welfare Stamps

Each year, since 1924, PostNL issues the Children's Welfare Stamps, sold with a surcharge. The proceeds of the benefits go to the Foundation for Children's Welfare Stamps, whose mission is "give vulnerable children development opportunities for a better future", through different programs within the Netherlands and abroad. 

The issues include the Children's Stamp Campaign: Every year in September, more than 200,000 students in grades 7 and 8 of the primary school hit the streets to sell the children's Welfare Stamps. In November, the children visit their customers again to deliver all orders.


Besides the charity purposes, they are usually striking and clever designs. These were issued on 29 October 2011, with the theme Give children a safe home, and designed by Solar Initiative.


Every stamp shows a single child playing. But, if you look at the whole sheet, you can see they are building a paper house together, as a metaphor of a secure environment.




Another sheet that I find especially eye-catching was the issued  on 4 November 2013, with the theme Let Children Learn.  The stamps were designed by Anton Corbijn; he photographed the children while his visit of an educational project in Ethiopia. 


The stamps highlight the contrast between children who attend school and children who have to work. Three children play a leading role on the stamp sheetlet, whereby each of the three is photographed both at school and at work.



See more children on stamps on Sunday Stamps-II.

14 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting, I love to see them again!

    Anton Corbijn became most famous by his photos of pop stars (among them U2, which have a similar atmosphere), but this stamp sheet I think one of his best series.

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    1. These are very special stamps, so well designed.

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  2. A great and practical way to highlight and help children's life chances, oh and they are attractive stamps.

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  3. Hi Eva, thank you for posting more information about the Children's Welfare Stamps here in your page. The whole sheet feature is also very much appreciated, showing the rest of the stamps and a bigger picture of the paper house assembled from the individual 3 stamps on top.

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    1. I usually upload the stamps I receive, and it isn't so usual to receive a complete set. But I think these deserved to be shown!

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  4. Children Welfare Stamps are a good idea and these stamps go well together. As far as I know GB has never issued such charity stamps before.

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    1. I think Spain has issued some charity stamps in the past, but not for a lot of years.

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    2. Similar perhaps to my refugee stamps?

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    3. I'm not sure. I need to look more information about.

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  5. These stamps are definitely worth the surcharge!

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    1. I think so! I wonder if the designs are so special for people don't mind to pay more.

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  6. Very interesting stamps and I especially like the sheet showing the ‘big picture’ of children playing and building.

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Thank you for coming. All your comments make me extremely happy.