Began in 1919 with only $20

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 19

Began in 1919 with only $20

It was in 1919 that the fund's founder, Miss Eg--lant y ne Jebb, first launched an emergency appeal in London with only $2O to aid post-World War I child victims in Europe and Russia. New Zealanders contributed a staggering $48,000 to this first appeal. In the bitter post-war years Eglantyne and her l.Hpers were often branded as German-lovers and budding Bolsheviks for supporting the children of “the enemy.” But one of her strpngest sup- ,. ters, playwright George Bernard Shaw provided the unarguable answer: “I have no enemies under seven,” he said.

In 1919, with just $2O, Eglantyne set up an emergency children’s relief fund. Her plea touched many hearts and soon thousands of dollars flowed in to help the starving European children. Donations ranged from $20,000 given by the British Miners Federation to half-a-crown from a nine-year-old boy. “I have fished 2s 6d out. of my money box,” he wrote, “and hope you will now be able to save all the starving children.” The appeal penetrated

the remotest parts of the world and soon money pou. cd in from as far afield as Samoa, Australia, New Zealand. Canada, the Pitcairn Islands, China and the United States. This marked the beginning of the Save the Children Fund, which through its 60 years of caring has maintained the principle of impartial help to both sides in a conflict. One of the greatest revolutions effected by SCF in its early years was not only to carry out its purpose of helping all suffering children, irrespective of race, creed, or colour, but .also to induce victorious nations to pay to send relief to the children of their former enemies.

The churches are among the first to offer their support and great encouragement was given Eglantyne Jebb and SCF by the interest and efforts of Pope Benedict XV, who made history in December 1920 by commending for the first time a non-Catho-lic society in his Encyclical Letter. Not only church leaders, . but also leading statesmen, trade unionists, social workers and men and women distinguished in many walks of life gave their public

support to SCF during the first years of its life.

In 1924, at the League of Nations Assembly, Eglantyne Jebb put forward her Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the League and has been commended by- the United Nations, which proclaimed its fuller declaration in 1959.

Eglantyne Jebb died in 1928, in Geneva. A year after her death Viscount Cecil of Chelwood wrote: “She belonged to that small company of men and women who may rightly be called saints. That is to say she had deeply held ideals and to an exceptional degree lived up to them,”

When World War II left a trial of misery in its wake SCF was one of the first voluntary organisations to dep in. Within weeks teams were at work in Greece, Yugoslavia, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland and Austria. By the end of 1945 outposts of SCF had been established beyond the frontiers of Europe. In Nigeria a trained nurse-mid-wife was organising an infant welfare and mothercraft training centre dealing with some 300 cases a

week. In India SCF w'as carrying on similar work and in Malaya a' medical team was working to combat malnutrition and disease.

In 1952 SCF began to work in South Korea which has since become the country in which the fund has done its most extensive w'ork overseas since. World War 11. 1960 was the year of the Agadir earthquake in Morocco which killed 24,000 people. As usual, SCF was ready to respond and within days of the earthquake the fund was caring for the child orphans. Other earthquakes which have engaged SCF’s resources in recent years have been that at Skopje, Yugoslvaia, in 1961, the series of earthquakes in Eastern Turkey in 1966, and the earthquake in Iran in 1968.

In recent years SCF has taken on major new responsibilities. In 1966 it sent a team to Vietnam where it was estimated that a million children had been killed or wounded since the Vietnam war began.

The Middle East War in 1967 led SCF to send medical and nursing teams to Jordon where they im-

mediately set up medical clines and milk distribution centres to help thousands of refugee children.

During its 60 years SCF has worked in more than 90 countries. It will continue to do so as long as there are children in need.