Save the Children USA

Save the Children Federation, Inc., commonly known as Save the Children USA, is a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of children in the United States and around the world. Their headquarters is located in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States.

Save the Children USA was formed in 1932 to help children in the Appalachian mountains during the Great Depression, and modeled on the Save the Children Fund which had been established in Britain in 1919.^[2]

Save the Children USA is part of the global Save the Children movement, with operations in over 120 countries around the world. Save the Children received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator between 2001 and 2014,^[3] a 3-star rating between 2015 and 2017, and a 4-star rating in 2018 and 2019.^[4]

Current Work & Operations[]

• Save the Children works in the United States and around the world.^[5]
• Save the Children's experienced and highly-skilled teams around the world work tirelessly to respond to global emergencies and conflict. The organization can assemble a world-class team of health professionals to work for children in crisis anywhere in the world within 72 hours.^[6]
• Save the Children 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 months.^[7]
• Save the Children also responds to natural disasters in the U.S., including 2020's deadly Gulf Coast hurricanes as well as the West Coast wildfires.^[8]
• Save the Children is the largest aid organization in Yemen.^[6]
• Save the Children is on the ground delivering lifesaving aid in Syria, where deadly conflict has been raging for 10 years.^[9]
• Since 2017, when violence in Myanmar triggered an exodus of Rohingya children, women and men, Save the Children has been providing essential services to nearly 600,000 refugees and the local community in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.^[10]
• Through partners, Save the Children is helping deliver immediate humanitarian relief to newly arrived children and families on both sides of the U.S. Southern border.^[11]
• In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Save the Children engaged in the most sweeping humanitarian response in the organization's 101-year history. Since the earliest days of the pandemic, Save the Children's team have been on the ground, currently reaching children and families simultaneously in 87 countries, including the U.S.^[12]
• Through campaign and advocacy work, Save the Children ensures children's voices are heard.^[13]

Ambassadors[]

Save the Children Ambassadors^[14] are high-profile individuals, widely-recognized as prominent members of their field, who demonstrate a shared vision and common goals with Save the Children, and who commit over a long period of time to support Save the Children's mission.

Save the Children's Ambassadors help promote the organization's work, raise funds and advocate to create lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. As of February 2020, current Ambassadors include Camila Cabello,^[15] Dakota Fanning,^[16] Jennifer Garner,^[17] Enrique Iglesias,^[18] Cobie Smulders, Olivia Wilde^[19] and Rachel Zoe.

Reports[]

• In 2016, Save the Children reported on a method for direct assessment of child development on motor function, language and early literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional development, suitable for children age 3-6 years, was tested in 45 countries for international use. It helps identify teaching opportunities and gaps in developmental progress: International Development and Early Learning Assessment. The report is IDELA: Fostering Common Solutions for Young Children.^[20]
• In 2017, in commemoration of International Children's Day, Save the Children launched a new global report that examines some of the reasons why children around the world miss out on childhood. The End of Childhood Report^[21][22] includes an End of Childhood Index that evaluates countries against a common set of life-changing events that can signal the disruption of childhood. It ranks more than 170 countries based on where childhood is most intact and where it is most eroded. Both The Childhood Report and the Global End of Childhood Index are published annually.
• In February 2019, the year of Save the Children's 100th Anniversary, the organization launched a global report titled Stop the War on Children: Protecting children in a 21st century conflict.^[23] It included a breakdown of UN data on verified grave violations against children. It also included the most comprehensive collection of data on the number of children living in conflict-affected areas.
• In February 2020, the third report of Save the Children's Stop the War on Children campaign was published titled Stop the War on Children 2020: Gender Matters^[24][25]. The report revealed shocking trends in the threats to the safety and wellbeing of children living in areas impacted by conflict.
• In November 2020, Killed and Maimed: A Generation of Violations Against Children^[26][27], the next report in the Stop the War on Children series, was published. The report explored both the scale of the problem and the core areas where action is not just possible, but essential.
• In September 2020, Save the Children published Protect a Generation: The Impact of COVID-19 on Children's Lives.^[28] This report provided a summary of selected findings from the Save the Children's Global Research Series on the hidden impact of COVID-19 on children.

Controversies[]

Sponsorship scandal (1998)[]

In March 1998, Save the Children USA became embroiled in a scandal that was investigated by the Chicago Tribune. The investigation uncovered two dozen donors were making contributions to dead children.^[29] The scandal resulted in the dismissal of an employee that was based in Mali.^[30] Three additional employees were reprimanded for allowing these deaths to go unreported.^[30] An American family with the surname "Dixon" was sending $20/month to a child by the name of Abdoul Kone who died of a donkey cart accident nearly 3 years earlier.^[31]

Mugs with traces of lead (1998)[]

In October 1998, Save the Children USA recalled approximately 2,000 mugs when it was revealed that their lead content, while in compliance with Federal guidelines, exceeded the levels in a voluntary standard to be introduced in California the following year.^[32]

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.^[33] On August 7 Save the Children issued a statement on the unauthorized use of its name in campaigns.^[34][33]

References[]