Save the Children, the first global movement for children, is commemorating its 100th anniversary over the course of 2019. The organization’s mission continues to be doing whatever it takes for the most vulnerable children in the United States and around the world.
A century ago a young English woman, Eglantyne Jebb, launched a pioneering campaign to save suffering children across war-torn Europe. She was visionary in her belief that children have individual rights and dedicated her life to holding the world accountable to ensuring children’s rights are realized.
In 1924 at the League of Nations convention, Jebb presented the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a short and clear document that she authored asserting the human rights of every child. Her words led to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1959.
Save the Children Founder Eglantyne Jebb’s fearless spirit and bold vision continue to drive Save the Children’s work today. Carolyn Miles, Save the Children President & CEO said, “Save the Children has always been determined to uphold the rights of children worldwide and our ambitions remain bold: to ensure all children survive, learn and are protected, regardless of who they are or where they live. We know first-hand that changing a child’s life for the better has incredible, lasting results.”
Over the past 100 years, Save the Children has changed the lives of far more than 1 billion children, reaching 155 million children in 2017 alone. As the world’s leading expert on children, with operations in almost 120 countries including the United States, Save the Children has an unparalleled ability to not only develop and test innovations, but dramatically scale what works, creating lasting, transformative change for children.
The nonprofit has long been at the forefront of significant, sustainable global progress for children, including advances in child health, education and protection. In the past two decades alone:
- The child mortality rate has been reduced by half since 1990
- The number of children stunted due to malnutrition has fallen by a third
- More than 90 percent of children in the developing world are now enrolled in school
Miles added, “Together, we’ve made extraordinary progress for children, but yet, there is so much more that the world’s children deserve. Too many are still dying from preventable causes or famine, for far too many kids school isn’t accessible or safe, and today, more than 350 million children live in conflict zones. All these factors challenge our next generation, put them in grave danger and at-risk of the future all children deserve.”
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, Save the Children is proud to announce the launch of the Promise of Childhood Centennial Campaign to secure $100 million in new funds. With this investment, the organization will test, replicate and scale important new ways of saving and improving the lives of the most vulnerable children in the United States and around the world. The Centennial Campaign will focus on specific areas for children such as saving girls and boys needlessly suffering and dying from pneumonia, securing early learning – especially for those refugee children without access to education – and protecting vulnerable children caught in the crossfire of conflict.
To mark the centennial, Save the Children is launching Changing a Life Lasts a Lifetime, a campaign rooted in the idea that even a small act on behalf of a child starts a ripple of change that affects not just one child, but their family, their community and, ultimately, our world. In addition, there will be several special activities and new ways to engage with and support Save the Children throughout the year.
To learn more and get involved, visit www.SavetheChildren.org/Centennial.