Here in Australia and around the world, we give a powerful voice to children and champion their rights. As a global organisation, in 2019 Save the Children directly reached 38.7 million of the world’s most vulnerable children in 117 countries.
Eglantyne Jebb, a pioneering teacher and sociologist, founded Save the Children in England in 1919. With a strong vision for children’s rights, in 1923 Eglantyne wrote what she believed were the fundamental rights of every child. This powerful statement was adopted by the League of Nations in 1924 (forerunner to the United Nations [UN]), and now underpins the current UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Nine decades later, these fundamental rights continue to create the foundation for everything we do. At a time when women had only just won the right to vote, Eglantyne was a pioneer for child wellbeing and revolutionised the way we treat children.
In the same year Save the Children began in England, our first Australian branch opened in Melbourne to assist refugees affected by war in Europe. Over the next 50 years, state divisions and more Australian branches were established to assist children in Europe and the Middle East. Improving the health and education of children in Australia became a priority in 1951. Welfare centres and preschools for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Victoria were among our first Australian projects.
Your support is critical in helping ensure every child gets a healthy start in life, an education and the chance at a better future. Thanks to supporters like you, our services are helping improve the lives of children here in Australia and all around the world.
