The roots of ATD (All Together in Dignity) Fourth World ATD Fourth World Movement go back to the emergency housing camps built outside Paris in the 1950s. ATD Fourth World has grown and today has grassroots teams in 34 countries around the world, holding general consultative status at the United Nations, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the ILO, in addition to participatory status at the Council of Europe. ATD Fourth World also maintains a permanent delegation to the European Union.
Children and adults who live in under-resourced neighborhoods get to know ATD Fourth World through our community projects and go on to build skills to represent and advocate for their communities and facilitate our programs as Fourth World Activists. Others act as Allies by supporting the programs in any way they can, be it donating or volunteering, and try to apply in their workplaces and more affluent communities what they learn from people with lived experience of poverty. Others make a full-time and long-term commitment to work alongside the poorest people by joining the ATD Fourth World Volunteer Corps.