This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2016) |
Founded | 1919 |
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Founder | Eglantyne Jebb Dorothy Buxton |
Founded at | London, England (UK) |
Type | NGO |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Area served | Australia and Worldwide |
Website | savethechildren |
CEO: Paul Ronalds[ when? ] Vision: "A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation."[ citation needed ] Contents
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Save the Children Australia is an aid and development agency dedicated to helping children in Australia and overseas. It is an independent, not-for-profit and secular organisation.
Save the Children Australia is a member of the Save the Children International, a group of 30 organisations sharing a global vision and strategy for improving the lives of children worldwide. [1]
Save the Children Australia, and the other members of the Save the Children Association, focus on responding to humanitarian emergencies, reducing infant and child mortality, protecting children from violence, and ensuring all children have access to a quality basic education.
In 2014, Save the Children Australia responded to 18 humanitarian emergencies, and ran 149 projects that reached 12 million people in 29 countries. [2]
Save the Children was founded in England by Eglantyne Jebb, a teacher and sociologist, in 1919. [3] Known then as the International Save the Children Fund, the organisation's first goal was to supply food to starving children in Austria, what was then Austria-Hungary, immediately after World War I.
Jebb had a strong vision and dedication to children's rights and developed five directives that she believed were the fundamental rights of every child. She lobbied the League of Nations until they adopted these rights in 1924. They have since formed the basis of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and inspired the current Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990). These rights remain the foundation of Save the Children's vision and values.
In the same year, Save the Children began in England, its first Australian branch was opened by Cecilia John in Melbourne, Australia, to assist refugees affected by war in Europe. [4] This was soon followed by branches opening in Queensland in 1920 and South Australia in 1922. Over the next 50 years, more branches were established in every state across Australia to assist children in Europe and the Middle East.
In 1951, the health and education of children in Australia became a priority for Save the Children branches across the country. Welfare centres and pre-schools for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Victoria were among the first of its Australian programs.
In 2004, the branches started a process of consolidation to create a single, national organisation called Save the Children Australia.
On 20 May 2015, Save the Children Australia and Good Beginnings Australia announced their plans to merge. [5] Good Beginnings Australia specialises in providing early intervention and practical parenting programs for children and their families in disadvantaged communities. [6] The merger came into force on 1 July 2015 and Good Beginning Australia's programs are now part of Save the Children Australia.
Save the Children Australia's national office is located in Melbourne, Victoria. It also has regional offices in Queensland, Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory, running programs and events that support communities at a local level. [7]
Save the Children Australia is a member of the Save the Children Association, a group of 30 child-focused organisations supporting children in more than 124 countries. [8] The members of the Save the Children Association work through a single operational structure, Save the Children International (registered in London, United Kingdom), when implementing projects internationally.
Save the Children Australia's international projects, except for those in the Pacific, are implemented through Save the Children International and local Save the Children partners.[ citation needed ]
A large part of Save the Children Australia's work is responding to emergencies in Australia and overseas, providing humanitarian aid such as water, food, shelter, temporary learning spaces and emotional support for children.[ citation needed ]
In 2014, Save the Children Australia responded to 18 humanitarian crises and reached 808,000 people. [9]
In 2015, Save the Children Australia has responded to Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu (March) [10] and the Nepal earthquakes (April/May), as well as continuing its response to longer term emergencies such as the South Sudan Crisis and the Syria Crisis.
Save the Children Australia runs development programs across Australia and overseas, with a particular focus on Asia and the Pacific.[ citation needed ]
The agency partners with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations, local and national governments, and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to deliver projects in-country. [11]
In 2014, Save the Children Australia reached more than 12 million children and adults in 29 countries focusing on:
In 2014, Save the Children Australia reached more than 34,000 Australian children and adults in more than 150 sites across the country, focusing on:
In addition to its humanitarian and development programs, Save the Children Australia campaigns for long-term change to improve children's lives.
Save the Children Australia supports the Campaign for Australian Aid, which is a joint initiative of the Make Poverty History and Micah Challenge coalitions. [14]
There have been successive cuts made to Australia's foreign aid budget, reducing Australia's national contribution to international development. The campaign aims to create a movement of people pushing for a stronger commitment to foreign aid from the Australian government.
Australia has a policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers, including children. Save the Children Australia's Kids in Detention campaign calls for children and the families to be immediately released from immigration detention. [15]
Save the Children fund-raises from the public through regular giving propositions such as I Save the Children and Children in Crisis, as well as single appeal donations. [16] [17]
It also has a number of community fundraising initiatives such as Run to Save and fundraising in celebration. [18] [19]
In 2015, Save the Children Australia launched its inaugural Christmas in July fundraising campaign.
Save the Children Australia has Op Shops in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. It also has an online shop. [20]
In October 2012, Save the Children began providing services to children at the Australian Government’s offshore asylum seeker detention centres, first on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and then on Nauru at the Nauru Detention Centre in August 2013.[ citation needed ] Services are no longer provided on Manus Island, following the removal of children from detention there.
In Nauru, Save the Children Australia provides welfare, education and recreation services to asylum seekers in the detention centre.[ citation needed ]
On 2 October 2014, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) issued Save the Children Australia with a notice of the removal of nine members of staff after claims the aid workers were coaching detainees to self-harm and fabricate abuse claims to achieve evacuations. [21] An independent review into the allegations was carried out by former Integrity Commissioner Philip Moss. The review was released on 20 March 2015 and found no evidence to support the allegations against the nine Save the Children staff members. [22]
The child rights agency reported that it was "deeply troubled" by the evidence provided in the report supporting claims of sexual and physical assaults against children and adults in mandatory immigration detention on Nauru. The agency's CEO, Paul Ronalds, stated that "there was never any need for fabrication or exaggeration by Save the Children staff – the evidence is clear." [23]
A week after the release of the Moss Review, the Australian Senate announced an inquiry into the review's findings. Save the Children Australia's submission to the inquiry calls on the Australian government to eliminate prolonged and mandatory detention of children and work towards a genuine regional framework that protects children fleeing conflict and persecution. [24]
The Board of Save the Children Australia delegates the responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the company to its chief executive officer (CEO) who, together with its Executive team, is accountable to the Board.[ citation needed ]
The role of Save the Children Australia's CEO and its chairman are separate. With a maximum of 14 directors, Save the Children Australia must have at least one director resident in each State.[ citation needed ]
Each year, the Save the Children Australia publishes an Annual Report, detailing successes and challenges in its programs, governance, financial statements and an independent auditor's report. [25]
In 2014, for every dollar donated to Save the Children Australia, 84 cents was invested in its development, campaigning and humanitarian response programs; 9 cents was spent on fundraising; 5 cents was spent on staff, infrastructure and systems; and 2 cents was invested in commercial activities such as its retail stores. [26]
Save the Children Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to its Code of Conduct. [27]
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Micronesia, part of Oceania in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati, about 300 km (190 mi) to the east. It lies northwest of Tuvalu, 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast of Solomon Islands, east-northeast of Papua New Guinea, southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands. With an area of only 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi), Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic and island nation. Its population of about 10,800 is the world's third-smallest larger than only Vatican City and Tuvalu.
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.
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international, non-government operated 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.
ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide.
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-inspired humanitarian and development agency which is working to support and empower the world's most vulnerable people.
Eglantyne Jebb was a British social reformer who founded the Save the Children organisation at the end of the First World War to relieve the effects of famine in Austria-Hungary and Germany. She drafted the document that became the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, charity, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organization, and is an affiliate of the Oxfam International Confederation. Oxfam Australia's work is divided into four broad categories covering climate justice, Economic Justice, Gender Justice and First Peoples Justice as well as Humanitarian response. They believe that poverty in the 21st century is less a problem of scarcity but the result of how resources, opportunities, and protections are distributed and wielded.
Plan International is a development and humanitarian organisation which works in over 75 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia to advance children’s rights and equality for girls. Its focus is on child protection, education, child participation, economic security, emergencies, health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and water and sanitation. As of 2021, Plan International reached 26.2 million girls and 24.1 million boys through its programming.
The Australian Council For International Development (ACFID) is an independent national association of Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) working in the field of international aid and development. ACFID was founded in 1965, with Syd Einfeld as Chairman, and has over 130 members working in 90 developing countries and supported by over 1.5 million Australians. It lobbies for non-government aid organisations, and Australian government development aid.
World Vision Australia (WVA) is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the World Vision International Partnership led by World Vision International. WVA is Australia's largest overseas aid and development organisation, operating primarily to assist overseas communities living in poverty. It also carries out development work in Australia with First Nations communities.
Care for Africa registered as the Peter Hewitt Care for Africa Foundation, is an Australian-based, non-government organisation that specialises in international aid in the Tarime District in the Mara Region of Tanzania.
The Australian government has a policy and practice of detaining in immigration detention facilities non-citizens not holding a valid visa, suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorised arrival, and those subject to deportation and removal in immigration detention until a decision is made by the immigration authorities to grant a visa and release them into the community, or to repatriate them to their country of origin/passport. Persons in immigration detention may at any time opt to voluntarily leave Australia for their country of origin, or they may be deported or given a bridging or temporary visa. In 1992, Australia adopted a mandatory detention policy obliging the government to detain all persons entering or being in the country without a valid visa, while their claim to remain in Australia is processed and security and health checks undertaken. Also, at the same time, the law was changed to permit indefinite detention, from the previous limit of 273 days. The policy was instituted by the Keating government in 1992, and was varied by the subsequent Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison and Albanese Governments. The policy is regarded as controversial and has been criticised by a number of organisations. In 2004, the High Court of Australia confirmed the constitutionality of indefinite mandatory detention of non-citizens. However, this interpretation was overturned in a landmark decision in 2023, with the High Court concluding the practice was unlawful and unconstitutional.
UNICEF, originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The agency is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence 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.
Plan International UK is the UK branch of the global children's rights non-profit organisation Plan International. Plan UK which works to advance equality for girls all over the world through sustainable development and humanitarian response activities in 50 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. The organisation also helps communities to build resilience prior, during and after emergencies. It is a registered charity in the UK and has no religious affiliations. It focuses on issues that particularly face girls of all ages. Plan International UK works across a range of sectors, including education, health, child protection and participation, economic security and water and sanitation. The organisation's current focus is the promotion of the rights of adolescent girls and disaster response and preparedness. Tanya Barron became Chief Executive of Plan International UK in January 2013 having been International Director at Leonard Cheshire Disability from 2004 to 2012. She holds various trusteeships and is currently a board member of the World Bank's Global Partnership on Disability and Development. In 2003 Barron was given the European Woman of Achievement (Humanitarian) award.
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Helen Veronica Szoke is the former chief executive of Oxfam Australia, and a commentator and advocate on issues of human rights, poverty, inequality, gender and race discrimination. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles across the health sector, human rights and public policy, and international development sector.
War crimes and human rights violations, committed by all warring parties, have been widespread throughout the Yemeni civil war. This includes the two main groups involved in the ongoing conflict: forces loyal to the current Yemeni president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and Houthis and other forces supporting Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former Yemeni president. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also carried out attacks in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition, backed by the United States and other nations, has also been accused of violating human rights and breaking international law, especially in regards to airstrikes that repeatedly hit civilian targets.
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