Save the Children

Save the Children
Name	Save the Children
Founded	1919
Founder	Eglantyne Jebb
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Focus	Child rights, humanitarian aid

Save the Children Save the Children is an international humanitarian organization founded in 1919 to improve the lives of children through relief, development, and advocacy. It operates across humanitarian crises, protracted conflicts, and development settings, partnering with national governments, UN agencies, and civil society to deliver health, nutrition, education, and child protection services. The organization has affiliates and members across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and it engages with multilateral institutions and donor governments.

History

The organization was established in 1919 by Eglantyne Jebb in the aftermath of World War I, responding to famine and displacement in World War I's aftermath and the Spanish flu pandemic. Early relief work included campaigns addressing child hunger in Austria, Germany, and Hungary. During the interwar period it engaged with the League of Nations and contributed to the development of the 1924 Declaration on the Rights of the Child. In the post-World War II era it expanded operations to address needs arising from the Marshall Plan environment, decolonization in India and Kenya, and later Cold War–era crises in Vietnam and Afghanistan. From the 1970s onward the organization broadened programming into education and health, responding to famines such as the 1983–85 Ethiopian famine and conflicts including the Gulf War and the wars in the former Yugoslavia. In the 21st century it has responded to disasters like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and protracted crises in Syria and Yemen, while engaging with the United Nations system and global initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mission and Activities

The group's stated mission centers on promoting child rights, survival, protection, and education, working to reduce child mortality and malnutrition, expand access to schooling, and protect children in emergencies. It coordinates with agencies such as UNICEF, World Health Organization, UNHCR, and World Food Programme and collaborates with foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and bilateral donors like the United States Agency for International Development and Department for International Development (United Kingdom). Programmatic activities include emergency response, immunization campaigns aligned with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, nutrition programs linked to Scaling Up Nutrition efforts, and advocacy around instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Field operations often intersect with entities like the Red Cross, regional bodies such as the African Union, and national ministries of health and education.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The organization comprises independent national members and an international secretariat with governance through a board of trustees and executive leadership. National members operate as separate legal entities in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, Norway, Australia, Japan, and Canada, and coordinate via an international alliance structure. Governance mechanisms include audit committees, external auditors like the firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG in some national contexts, and engagement with regulator bodies such as the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the US Internal Revenue Service for 501(c)(3) status. Leadership has included prominent figures from humanitarian circles and partnerships with academics from institutions including London School of Economics and Harvard University for research and evaluation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programming spans child survival, nutrition, education, child protection, livelihoods, and humanitarian response. Notable initiatives include emergency logistics and cash transfer programming used in responses to the Hurricane Katrina regional impacts, community health worker models implemented in Bangladesh and Ethiopia, and education-in-emergencies efforts in contexts such as Lebanon and the Central African Republic. The organization engages in research collaborations with bodies like the International Rescue Committee and think tanks such as the Overseas Development Institute, and implements monitoring and evaluation frameworks aligned with donors including the European Commission and multilateral lenders like the World Bank. Campaigns have addressed immunization, anti-child labor efforts involving linkage with International Labour Organization frameworks, and newborn and maternal health in partnership with academic hospitals and public health institutes.

Funding and Financials

Funding sources combine institutional grants, private donations, corporate partnerships, and long-term grants from multilateral agencies. Major institutional funders have included the United States Agency for International Development, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, and bilateral donors such as the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Corporate partnerships have involved companies across sectors and philanthropic support from entities like the Gates Foundation and large family foundations. Financial oversight includes annual reports, external audits, and compliance with standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards in some jurisdictions. Revenue streams are allocated among program delivery, fundraising, and administration, and financial scrutiny has been part of public and regulator attention.

Impact, Criticism, and Controversies

The organization has demonstrably reached millions of children through immunization, schooling, nutrition, and emergency aid, influencing policy debates on child rights and contributing to international instruments. It has also faced criticism and controversy: concerns over safeguarding and child protection have prompted investigations and reforms in line with recommendations from independent panels and regulators. Operational challenges in conflict zones such as Syria and Yemen have raised questions about access, neutrality, and negotiation with armed groups like Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in affected theaters. Financial transparency and partnership choices have been scrutinized by media outlets and watchdogs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while donor relationships with governments such as United States and United Kingdom have provoked debate about impartiality. The organization has undertaken governance reforms, strengthening safeguarding policies, accountability mechanisms, and external evaluations with partners including UNICEF and academic evaluators.

Category:International humanitarian organizations