Save the Children USA

Last updated

Save the Children USA
Founded1932
Founder Eglantyne Jebb
Dorothy Buxton
Type NGO
Location
Area served
United States and Worldwide
Key people
Janti Soeripto (President & CEO) [1]
Website www.savethechildren.org

Save the Children Federation, Inc., more commonly known as Save the Children USA, is a non-profit organization in the United States. Its stated goal is to improve the lives of children in the U.S. and around the world. Its headquarters is in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Contents

The organization was established in 1932 to help children in the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression. It was modeled on the Save the Children Fund which had been established in Britain in 1919. [2]

Save the Children USA is part of Save the Children International, which operates in over 120 countries. It was rated 4-stars by the Charity Navigator from 2001 to 2014, [3] 3-stars from 2015 to 2017, and 4-stars in 2018 and 2019. [4]

Global operations

Save the Children operates internationally to respond to global emergencies and conflicts which affect children. [5] The organization claims to be capable of assembling a team of skilled health professionals anywhere in the world within 72 hours of a crisis. [6]

The charity works in over 200 of the poorest communities in rural America. Programs are focused on ensuring children are kindergarten-ready, reading by third grade, have safe places to go after school, and maintain reading and math skills over the summer. [7] It also provides relief for natural disasters in the U.S. [8]

Internationally, Save the Children has significant presence in Yemen, [6] Syria, [9] Bangladesh, [10] and on both sides of the U.S. Southern border. [11] It also provided international relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. [12]

Ambassadors

Save the Children identifies its ambassadors as high-profile individuals that are widely-recognized as prominent members of their field and demonstrate a commitment to the organization's mission. [13] [ non-primary source needed ] Ambassadors promote the organization's work, raise funds, and advocate to create lasting change for children in need.[ citation needed ] As of July 2023, ambassadors for the organization include Camila Cabello, [14] Dakota Fanning, [15] Jennifer Garner, [16] Enrique Iglesias, [17] and Olivia Wilde. [18]

Research papers

As part of its advocacy role, Save the Children USA commissions research to support its mission. Amongst the reports are a 2016 paper on International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA), a method for direct assessment of child development. [19] Stop the War reports, which discuss war crimes against children, were published in 2019, [20] 2020, [21] [22] and 2021. [23] The organization also published a report on how COVID-19 has affected children's lives. [24]

Save the Children USA published an annual End of Childhood Report and an End of Childhood Index [25] that evaluates countries against a common set of life-changing events which can signal the disruption of childhood.

Controversies

Sponsorship scandal

In March 1998, the Chicago Tribune reported that the organization was had mishandled donation funds; The investigation revealed that two dozen donors were making contributions to sponsor dead children. [26] In one instance, an American family with the surname "Dixon" had been sending $20/month to a child by the name of Abdoul Kone who died in a donkey cart accident nearly 3 years prior. [27] The scandal resulted in the dismissal of a Mali-based employee. [28] Three additional employees were reprimanded for allowing the deaths to go unreported. [28]

Traces of lead in mugs

In October 1998, Save the Children USA recalled approximately 2,000 mugs when it was revealed[ by whom? ] that their lead content, while in compliance with Federal guidelines, exceeded the levels of a voluntary standard to be instituted in California the following year. [29]

QAnon attempt to co-opt #SaveTheChildren

In 2020 proponents of the unproven far-right conspiracy theory QAnon attempted to co-opt the hashtag #SaveTheChildren, leading to a temporary block of the hashtag on Facebook. [30] On August 7, Save the Children issued a statement on the unauthorized use of its name in campaigns. [31] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compassion International</span> American humanitarian aid NGO, founded 1952

Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Rescue Committee</span> Nongovernmental humanitarian organization

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1942 after amalgamating with the similar Emergency Rescue Committee, the IRC provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The IRC is currently working in about 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities where it resettles refugees and helps them become self-sufficient. It focuses mainly on health, education, economic wellbeing, power, and safety.

Samaritan's Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is derived from the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan. With international headquarters in Boone, North Carolina, the organization also maintains warehouse and aviation facilities in nearby North Wilkesboro and Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international, non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919, with the goal of helping improve the lives of children worldwide.

World Vision International is an ecumenical Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1950 by Robert Pierce as a service organization to provide care for children in Korea. In 1975, emergency and advocacy work was added to World Vision's objectives. It is active in over 100 countries with a total revenue including grants, product and foreign donations of USD $3.14 billion.

ChildFund, also known an ChildFund International, and formerly known as Christian Children's Fund, is a child-focused international development organization that provides assistance to children facing poverty and other challenges in 24 countries, including the United States. ChildFund's headquarters are located in Richmond, Virginia, United States.

Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, MDA accelerates research, advances care, and works to empower families to live longer and more independent lives. Renowned for The MDA Labor Day Telethon, the annual telecast aired live every Labor Day weekend from 1966 to 2010, hosted by Jerry Lewis, who also served as MDA's national chairman. Also, Don Rickles, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Norm Crosby, Don Francisco, Tony Orlando, Johnny Carson, Aretha Franklin, Maureen McGovern, Diana Ross, Angela Lansbury and others have supported MDA over the years. The organization's headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois.

Child sponsorship is a type of fundraising in which a charitable organization associates a donor sponsor with a particular child beneficiary. The sponsor receives updates from the child, typically including photos and translated letters, which help create the feeling of a personal relationship with the child. The donated funds are often not spent specifically on the sponsored child, but pooled with other contributions to fund a variety of education, health, security, infrastructure, or other projects in the child's community or country. One estimate is that over 9 million children are given over US $5 billion by child sponsorship programs. Other sources state the amount of child sponsorship funding is closer to US $3 billion per year.

An international non-governmental organization (INGO) is an organization which is independent of government involvement and extends the concept of a non-governmental organization (NGO) to an international scope.

Feed the Children, established in 1979 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Its mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials." The organization provides food, essentials, education supplies and disaster relief to those in need across the United States and in eight countries around the world. Domestically, Feed the Children operates five distribution centers located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Charities USA</span> Network of charities with headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia

Catholic Charities USA is the national voluntary membership organization for Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States and its territories. Catholic Charities USA is a member of Caritas Internationalis, an international federation of Catholic social service organizations. Catholic Charities USA is the national office of 167 local Catholic Charities agencies nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct Relief</span> Charitable organization

Direct Relief is a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations by providing the appropriate medical resources. The charity provides emergency medical assistance and disaster relief in the United States and internationally. The organization is headed by an independent board of directors and its president and CEO, Thomas Tighe.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is a philanthropic organization founded in 1983 by Yechiel Eckstein whose stated mission is to promote understanding and cooperation between Jews and Christians, and provide humanitarian aid for the State of Israel. Since 2019, Yael Eckstein has been serving as The Fellowship's President and CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation USA</span> American world aid organization founded 1979

Operation USA is a non-profit humanitarian organization supporting health, education, and relief programs at home and abroad in order to help children and families recover and thrive in the wake of disasters. Working with grassroots community organizations, OpUSA strives to help the most overlooked and under-served communities. The Organization is privately funded, receiving no assistance from the United States federal government. OPUSA had a revenue of over $2.6 million in the fiscal year 2019, and since 1979 has delivered more than $400 million in aid to 100 countries.

UNICEF, originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The organization is one of the most widely known and visible social welfare entities globally, operating in 192 countries and territories. UNICEF's activities include providing immunizations and disease prevention, administering treatment for children and mothers with HIV, enhancing childhood and maternal nutrition, improving sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in response to disasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wounded Warrior Project</span> Nonprofit organization

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is an American charity and veterans service organization that operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3). WWP offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans who incurred a physical or mental injury, illnesses, or co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001. Military family members and caregivers are also eligible for WWP programs.

Zynga.org was an independent nonprofit organization started by social games developer Zynga, Inc., in October 2009. The purpose of Zynga.org was to promote and facilitate the use of social games for philanthropic initiatives. It was incorporated as a separate legal entity in March 2012. The organization was dissolved in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camila Cabello</span> American singer (born 1997)

Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the pop girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, Cabello began to establish herself as a solo artist with the release of her collaborative singles "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Bad Things" —the latter peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. She left Fifth Harmony in late 2016.

Convoy of Hope is an American faith-based nonprofit humanitarian and disaster relief organization that provides food, supplies, and humanitarian services to impoverished or otherwise needy populations throughout the world. The organization also engages in disaster relief work. It was founded in 1994 by Hal, Steve, and Dave Donaldson in Sacramento, California, later moved its headquartered to its current place in Springfield, Missouri, and is associated with the Assemblies of God and its Chi Alpha campus ministries and fellowships.

Marianne O'Grady is an American teacher and Afghanistan's deputy country director for Care International who said that the Taliban "cannot un-educate millions of people" in the fall of Kabul (2021) and anticipated that women would continue to teach other women and girls, even if forced back "behind the wall".

References

  1. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Historical Ratings for Save the Children".
  2. ↑ Hoffman, Marilyn (May 29, 1980). "International agency helps fight poverty with handcrafts". Christian Science Monitor.
  3. ↑ "Historical Ratings for Save the Children". Charity Navigator. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Historical Ratings for Save the Children". Charity Navigator. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  5. ↑ "What We Do". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Why Save the Children?". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Help Save Children in America". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Emergency Response". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Help Children in Syria". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Rohingya Crisis: Explained". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ "What You Should Know about Kids in Crisis at the U.S. Border". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Help Children Affected by Coronavirus". Save the Children. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Ambassadors". Save the Children. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Camila Cabello Vows to Raise $250,000 for Save the Children: 'A Voice Is a Powerful Instrument'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Dakota Fanning Is Empowering Girls With Save The Children & You Can Do The Same". Bustle. October 12, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ Lauren Lee (July 23, 2018). "Jennifer Garner teams up with Save the Children to fight rural poverty in America". CNN. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Enrique Iglesias Salutes Fans for Helping Contribute Over $350,000 to Save the Children". Music Mayhem Magazine. October 24, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  18. ↑ Saval, Malina (February 25, 2016). "Olivia Wilde Champions Kids With Work With Save the Children". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ↑ "IDELA: Fostering Common Solutions for Young Children" (PDF). Resource Centre. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Stop the War on Children: Protecting children in 21st century conflict". Resource Centre. February 13, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Stop the War on Children 2020: Gender matters". Resource Centre. February 6, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Stop the war on children 2020: Gender matters - World". ReliefWeb. February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Stop the war on children - Killed and maimed: A generation of violations against children in conflict - World". ReliefWeb. November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Protect a Generation: The impact of COVID-19 on children's lives". Resource Centre. September 8, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  25. ↑ McCarthy, Niall. "The U.S. States Where Childhood Is Most And Least Protected [Infographic]". Forbes. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  26. ↑ Anderson, Lisa (March 18, 1998). "Save The Children Reacts To Probe, Plans Reforms". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  27. ↑ Dellios, Hugh (March 15, 1998). "Greetings From Grave". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2012.[ dead link ]
  28. 1 2 Anderson, Lisa (December 31, 1998). "The Road to Reform". Chicago Tribune.
  29. ↑ "Recalls Save the Children Mugs". The Miami Herald. October 31, 1998.
  30. 1 2 Dickson, E. J. (August 12, 2020). "What Is #SaveTheChildren and Why Did Facebook Block It?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Save the Children Statement on use of its Name in Unaffiliated Campaigns". Save the Children. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.