Our Mission
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future.
In the United States and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We do whatever it takes for children - every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our Values
At Save the Children, we live by five Core Values:
Accountability
Integrity
Ambition
Collaboration
Creativity
These Core Values drive our long-term strategies and short-term goals, and they underpin our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and achieve immediate and lasting impact in their lives.
Our History and Founder
Founded over 100 years ago, Save the Children was the first global organization devoted solely to serving children’s needs and securing their rights.
Our founder Eglantyne Jebb saw children dying of starvation and wracked with disease after the end of the First World War. So, in 1919, she launched the Save the Children Fund to raise much-needed funds to end children’s suffering across war-torn Europe.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, based on our founder’s declaration, is the most universally accepted human rights treaty in history.
Since our founding over 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of over one billion children.
Our Leadership
Save the Children’s Senior Leadership Team, Board of Trustees and each and every staff member are dedicated to one mission – ensuring children everywhere survive, learn and are protected.
Janti Soeripto
President and Chief Executive Officer
Brad Irwin
Board Chair
Jennifer Garner
Board Member
Why Save the Children?
Save the Children was the first global movement for children, boldly declaring that children have rights. Today, we champion the rights of the world’s 2.3 billion children.
It is because of our commitment to children that Save the Children has garnered top ratings among other nonprofit organizations. Charity watch groups give us top ratings for achieving incredible results for children – with a proven track record of using donations efficiently and effectively.
In 2020, we reached more than 197 million children, including 1.1 million here in America. Our total operating revenue was $869 million, 4% higher than in 2019.
What We Do
Our pioneering programs address children's unique needs, giving them a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.
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Health Programs
As a global leader in child health, Save the Children keeps children healthy and thriving. Today, as children around the world are growing up in a deadly pandemic, we are supporting frontline health workers and providing education and hygiene supplies to help families and communities protect themselves against COVID-19 and stay healthy.
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Education Programs
From rural America’s poorest communities to conflict-affected countries, Save the Children ensures children are educated. But for the first time in history, an entire generation of children globally have had their education disrupted. That's why we're supporting distance learning, ensuring that children who rely on school meal programs don’t go hungry and advocating to ensure children’s right to an education.
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Protection Programs
Save the Children was the first global organization devoted solely to protecting children from harm. Today, as COVID-19 threatens to exacerbate the risk of violence against children, we're doing whatever it takes to keep the most vulnerable children safe from risks now heightened during the pandemic.
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Policy and Advocacy
In some of the world’s worst disasters, we have led advocacy efforts that ensure children’s needs are a top priority. As a result, U.S. policymakers look to Save the Children as the leading expert on childhood, both here at home and abroad.
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Emergency Response
Save the Children is the global leader in child-focused humanitarian response. We’ve created more safe spaces for children in emergencies than any other humanitarian organization.
With our Emergency Health Unit, we’re transforming the way emergency care is delivered – putting a world-class team of health professionals to work for children in crisis anywhere in the world within 72 hours.
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