Save the Children Australia

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Save the Children Australia
Founded1919
Founder Eglantyne Jebb
Cecilia Annie John
Founded atLondon, England (UK)
TypeNGO
Headquarters Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Area served
Australia and Worldwide
Website savethechildren.org.au
CEO: Mat Tinkler
Vision: A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.

Save the Children Australia is one of the largest independent aid and development agencies working to improve the lives of children across Australia, the Pacific, and around the world.

Contents

As a member of the global Save the Children International network, it delivers programs that protect children from harm, ensure access to quality education and healthcare, respond to humanitarian emergencies, and advocate for children's rights. [1]

History

In 1919, Eglantyne Jebb, a British teacher, sociologist, and humanitarian, founded Save the Children in England in response to the suffering of children in Central Europe after the First World War. Jebb drafted the original Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, which later inspired the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. [2]

That same year, Cecilia Annie John, an Australian opera singer, pacifist, and feminist, established the first Save the Children branch in Melbourne. John had been active in international peace movements and returned from the 1919 Women’s International Peace Conference in Zurich determined to create an Australian branch to support children affected by war in Europe.

Throughout the 20th century, Save the Children expanded its programs in Australia, including preschools, health and welfare services, and programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

In 2015, Save the Children Australia merged with Good Beginnings Australia, a national early childhood and parenting organisation, significantly expanding its domestic footprint.

In 2022, Mat Tinkler was appointed Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Paul Ronalds. [3] That same year, the organisation rebranded its domestic programs under the new sub-brand 54 reasons, to place children’s rights and voices at the centre of its work in Australia. [4]

Sub-brands

Strategic Pillars

Save the Children Australia’s strategy [7] is focused on ensuring that:

  1. Children survive and thrive in the earliest years of life – with access to health, nutrition, and developmental support.
  2. Children can access and participate in quality learning and education – supporting engagement from early childhood through adolescence.
  3. Children are safe in their homes, schools, and communities – with programs addressing violence, abuse, and neglect.
  4. Children and their families are resilient and able to adapt to the impacts of climate change – through climate preparedness, adaptation programs, and advocacy.

These priorities guide both service delivery in Australia and the Pacific, and Save the Children’s advocacy and humanitarian programming globally.

Operations & Funding

Save the Children Australia receives funding from a diverse portfolio of sources, combining community support with major institutional partnerships.

Retail [8]

The organisation operates more than 100 op shops across metropolitan and regional Australia. These stores, run by staff and thousands of volunteers, generate millions of dollars each year to support programs, while also promoting sustainability by re-using clothing and household goods.

Fundraising and Donor Base

Save the Children maintains a broad fundraising base, including tens of thousands of regular monthly donors, community fundraising, philanthropic foundations, and corporate partners. Regular giving provides a stable foundation, complemented by bequests, major gifts, and large-scale campaigns.

Institutional Partnerships

The organisation is also a trusted development partner to government and multilateral donors. Key funders include the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) - where Save the Children Australia is the only NGO globally with accreditation - and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). These partnerships underpin large-scale humanitarian and development programs, particularly across the Pacific and Asia.

Emergency Response

Save the Children also raises funds for the Child Emergency Fund (CEF), [9] a global rapid-response mechanism that allows immediate action in crises without waiting for specific appeals. It is also a member of the Emergency Action Alliance, a coalition of 15 leading Australian charities that coordinate centralised appeals in major disasters.

Programs

Save the Children Australia runs a wide range of development and emergency response programs domestically and internationally, with notable areas including:

Climate Finance and the Pacific

Save the Children Australia is the only non-governmental organisation in the world accredited to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), enabling it to design and implement climate resilience programs at scale. Through this accreditation, it delivers major projects in the Pacific, supporting communities to adapt to climate change, strengthen education systems, and protect children from climate-related risks.

Domestic Services through 54reasons

Under its 54 reasons sub-brand, Save the Children delivers programs for children and families across Australia. These include domestic and family violence (DFV) support, education engagement, early childhood development, youth justice programs, and tailored services for First Nations communities. This work focuses on safety, connection, learning, and ensuring children’s rights are realised locally.

Advocacy and Public Influence

The organisation advocates for children’s rights both domestically and globally, raising awareness of issues ranging from child protection to climate change. It uses campaigns, media, and partnerships to elevate children’s voices, and to mobilise public support for systemic change.

Government Relations and Policy Impact

Save the Children Australia maintains a strong presence in policy discussions, advising and influencing government at federal and state levels. Its work includes shaping laws and policies affecting children, lobbying for climate resilience and humanitarian response, and building bipartisan political support to advance the rights and wellbeing of children in Australia and abroad.

Accountability & transparency

Save the Children Australia is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct and publishes detailed annual reports. These include program outcomes, audited financials, and organisational governance

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About us - Save the Children Australia". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  2. ↑ https://www.savethechildren.org.au/getmedia/9f99ad99-457a-4b98-ae03-fb14777c509d/STC01965-History-Jill-Cameron-v4.pdf.aspx.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ "Meet our new CEO". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Why We Changed to 54 Reasons - Save the Children Australia". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "54 reasons — Australia's leading child rights organisation". www.54reasons.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Home". Library For All. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Save the Children's 2025-2027 Strategy: A Roadmap for a Better Future". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Op shops - Save the Children Australia". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "Children's Emergency Fund – Save the Children Australia". www.savethechildren.org.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.

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