International Childcare Trust (ICT) was founded in 1982 by David Lamont, who had worked as a teacher at the grassroots level in the UK, Asia and Africa.

David and a handful of his colleagues were dissatisfied with how organisations worked with vulnerable children, as they felt that children were not being properly consulted and actively involved in planning their own personal development. Therefore, ICT was founded on the concepts of empowerment and child-centred, active and participation.

In 1983, ICT began working to protect the rights of poor refugee families in the UK (Somalian, Vietnamese, Bangladeshi and Turkish Kurds). In 1984, work began in Sri Lanka with war-affected children. By 1986, ICT had established a programme in Zambia; by 1988, a programme in India; and by 1992, a programme in Kenya. The most recent programme ICT has become involved with is in Cambodia.

In all of our programmes, ICT works to protect children's rights within a community development context, so children, their families and their communities are always involved in the decisions that shape ICT supported programmes.