“We cannot run the risk that they should weep, starve, despair and die, with never a hand stretched out to help them.” These were words spoken by Eglantyne Jebb, an Oxford-educated teacher and sociologist, who in 1919, founded the Save the Children Fund in the U.K. Her mission was to aid children in war-ravaged central Europe, believing that the defenseless cannot be left to moral and physical ruin. Jebb’s vision inspired a group of Americans who established Save the Children in the United States in 1932.

Their first goal was to help the children and families struggling to survive during the Great Depression in the mountains of Appalachia. Today, Save the Children USA transforms the lives of children in more than 120 countries, providing families and communities with the tools needed to escape the reigns of poverty.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization focusing on children in poverty both in the United States and around the world. They are quick to provide food, medical care, education, and recovery programs to communities struck by disaster. Meanwhile, the organization works every day to resolve the struggles of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease.

In 2012, Save the Children USA reached 78 million children, surpassing their goal of helping 74 million annually. Their commitment to children has made them highly respected among other nonprofit organizations. The most recent rating for Save the Children by the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), a nonprofit charity watchdog that rates approximately 500 major U.S. charities, was an ‘A+’. They further earned the 2012 Top-Rated Award by Great Nonprofits and received an overall rating of 4 out of 4 Stars by Charity Navigator, among other awards.

Save the Children works side-by-side with children, parents, caregivers, community members, and members of their partner organizations to make sure that programs are carried out effectively. Their focus areas include child protection, child survival, education, emergency response, health and nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and hunger and livelihoods.

There are many ways to get involved in the mission of Save the Children. The organization has made it easy to donate in ways that work for you, such as giving online, donating in honor of friends and family, fundraising, or sponsoring a child. Save the Children assures that your gift is used wisely and efficiently. In 2012, 89% of all expenditures went to program services. That percentage is an average for all of Save the Children’s programs worldwide.

– Ali Warlich
Source: Save the Children, CNN
Photos: Global Giving