International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) is a Dutch non-profit organization with a world-wide brief, and a focus on transitional and developing countries. ICDI promotes the well-being of children growing up in difficult circumstances. As a result of the global recession, 2009 was a challenging year for many organizations working in the field of international development and child welfare. Thanks to ICDI's broad network, the growing maturity of the organization and increasing recognition of its work with and for children, a great deal was nevertheless achieved. During the course of the year, ICDI moved office, expanded its project portfolio, and--with a range of new partners in the Netherlands and abroad--explored possibilities to jointly work towards meeting the needs of children growing up in difficult circumstances in a more effective manner. Overall, ICDI's options for the future were expanded upon--and, not insignificantly, the organization managed to keep the financial deficit within limits. The work for children that ICDI has itself completed in cooperation with counterparts in other countries is outlined in detail in the pages of the following report. It is particularly noteworthy that despite the recession, more projects were undertaken and implemented in 2009 than in any previous year. Some were multi-year projects that simply continued, but many others were short-term projects to meet pressing needs, and they were carried out in countries as far apart as Bulgaria and Kenya, Israel/Palestine and The Netherlands, or Surinam and Romania. However, it is obviously content that matters and this report, entitled "Works for Children," records ICDI's involvement in child protection, early childhood development, child and youth participation, and newly emerging needs of children that require more consideration, more recognition and ultimately more action. [For the 2008 annual report, see ED512428.]