World's Children 2013 by Save the Children Australia

2013

worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children Annual Supporter Magazine

Photo: Save the Children

Together with our supporters and partners, we are making a real difference to children’s lives. We simply couldn’t do it without you. We’d particularly like to acknowledge the support of these four partners:

Carnival Australia (P&O) One of our newest corporate partners is Carnival Australia (P&O), which has committed to raise $1 million over four years for our programs in Vanuatu. As well as cash donations, P&O passengers will be able to take a hands-on approach with an on-board knitting program, Born to Knit, producing blankets for newborn babies in Vanuatu.

NAB Thank you to NAB who has supported us since 2009. Together we work to address key social issues. The relationship is underpinned by staff engagement via the NAB Employee Volunteer program, which saw over 400 NAB employees volunteer with us in 2012 alone. They have also supported us with opportunities to engage with their customers.

The Phyllis Connor Memorial Trust The Phyllis Connor Memorial Trust, managed by Norman Bourke and Equity Trustees, recently granted Save the Children $58,000 to support our work for refugee and new migrant families in inner-city Melbourne. The funding will allow us to pilot an innovative program, partnering with other non-government organisations, to deliver comprehensive support for children and families so they can thrive in their new lives in Australia.

Save the Children Australia is fully accredited by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Australian Government agency responsible for managing Australia’s overseas aid program. Save the Children Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management. In the absence of a contrary statement; the programs represented in this publication, by way of photograph or other reference, are programs which are managed by either Save the Children Australia or Save the Children International members and/or their partners (to which Save the Children Australia may have contributed). All material presented in this publication is the intellectual property of Save the Children Australia and/or Save the Children International unless otherwise stated. Material in this magazine may only be reproduced with the express permission of Save the Children Australia. To protect identities, some names, details and photos may have been changed. All inquiries should be directed to the Public Affairs Department, Save the Children Australia. This magazine is printed on 100% recycled fibre and is Australian made. Cover photo: Dok’s life was saved thanks to a Save the Children trained health worker. Read more on page 12-13. Photo: Save the Children. Save the Children is Australia’s leading independent humanitarian relief and development organisation for children. We protect and support children in need. We save lives in emergencies. We stand up for children’s rights. Globally, Save the Children works in 120 countries. In Australia, we work in every state and territory with programs in more than 100 locations.

Save the Children Australia Head Office: Level 6, 250 Victoria Parade East Melbourne VIC 3002 Email: info@savethechildren.org.au

ABN 99 008 610 035

facebook.com/savethechildrenaustralia youtube.com/savethechildrenaus @savechildrenaus 1800 76 00 11 savethechildren.org.au

Editorial

2O13

For more than two years, Syria’s children have endured appalling suffering. Thousands have died and many more have been severely injured, traumatised or forced to flee their homes. Over the last few months the conflict has intensified, with over 93,000 people dead and millions more affected by an increasingly brutal civil war.

What’s even more heart wrenching is hearing a child’s thoughts on the conflict. Safa*, a young girl from Syria, told us, “If you have seen news reports, you have seen only a small drop in the ocean. I do not think there’s a single child untouched by this war. Everyone has seen death, everyone has lost someone. It’s on such a scale… when the world finally sees what is happening in Syria, you will not have words. We know what is happening, but the world is not listening.” These are powerful words from a child and it is for this reason I highlight Syria today. We must listen and act to help these children, who are missing out on their childhood. You can read more on page 16 from Australian Roger Hearn who is leading Save the Children’s response in the Syria region. Save the Children Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Dvorak, has been instrumental in driving our humanitarian response work, as well as our development programs. After more than four years with the organisation Suzanne has decided to move on. Suzanne has led the organisation through a period of tremendous growth, which has allowed us to

provide even more children with life-changing and life-saving support. With Suzanne’s leadership we helped 8.4 million people access health, education, protection and emergency relief programs in 2012 alone – an increase from 1.7 million people three years ago. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Suzanne for her drive and vision which has shaped where we are today. Our new Chief Executive Officer, Paul Ronalds, has held senior executive roles in government, domestic and international NGOs and in the private sector. He joins us from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where he provided advice to the Prime Minister of Australia on a broad range of social and economic policies designed to assist families and communities. We welcome Paul in July and look forward to working together to continue to improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children. But none of our work is possible without our supporters and partners. Your continued and dedicated support is what makes change for children possible. Thank you. Scott Gilbert Acting Chief Executive Officer Save the Children Australia * name has been changed

Inside 1 Editorial

12 Saving newborn lives

2 In brief

14 Supporting Australian children

4 Superfood for Babies

16 Crisis in Syria

6 Learning for the first time

18 Get Involved

8 Supporting at-risk young people in Tasmania

20 Op shop volunteers 2013

In brief

Syria We are supporting children in Syria and surrounding countries with water, medicine, clothing and safe places to play.

Pakistan

ARCTIC O

We have started a new program in Pakistan’s Balochistan province to improve the coverage and quality of maternal, newborn and child health care services.

FRANZ JOSEF LAND (RUSSIA)

SVALBARD (NORWAY)

Sea Barents Sea Norwegian Sea ICELAND FINLAND

SWEDEN

RUSSIAN FEDERATION NORWAY ESTONIA LATVIA

DENMARK

North Sea

NORTH

S tic Bal

UNITED KINGDOM REP. OF IRELAND

BELARUS

GERMANY POLAND BELGIUM LUX. CZECH REPUBLIC UKRAINE SLOVAKIA MOLDOVA AUSTRIA FRANCE HUNGARY SWITZ. ROMANIA SLOVENIA BOSNIA

SERBIA

BULGARIA

MONGOLIA

Black Sea

GEORGIA

MACEDONIA

SPAIN

ALBANIA

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ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN

GREECE

Medite rra ne an Sea

Aral Sea

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ITALY ANDORRA

TURKEY

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KYRGYZSTAN N. KOREA TAJIKISTAN

IRAN

East China Sea

JORDAN CANARY ISLES (SPAIN)

KUWAIT

ALGERIA

PAKISTAN

LIBYA I UD SA

EGYPT

WESTERN SAHARA

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BORNEO

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REPUBLIC OF LESOTHO SOUTH AFRICA Great Australian Bight

South Australian Basin

OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

Sea

Countries where Save the Children Australia works Countries where Save the Children International works

BISMARK SEA

Torres Strait

Gulf of Carpentaria

Weddell

Countries where Save the Children Australia works

ARAFURA SEA

MAYOTTE (FRANCE)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

TIMOR-LESTE TIMOR SEA

SWAZILAND

ATLANTIC

IRIAN JAYA (WEST PAPUA)

BANDA SEA

INDONESIA JAVA

NAMIBIA

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BRUNEI

SINGAPORE

BURUNDI

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SOUTH

Thailand

KENYA

MALA

We have entered into an exciting new partnership with Carnival Australia (P&O) to raise funds for kindergartens and health clinics, and inform passengers about the real issues facing children in Vanuatu.

SEA

PHILIPPINES

China

MALAYSIA

RWANDA

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Gulf of

SRI LANKA

A LI A

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (ZAIRE)

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Vanuatu

THAILAND CAMBODIA

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CAMEROON GULF OF GUINEA

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TAIWAN (Formosa)

VIETNAM LAOS

PHILIPPINE SEA

BAY OF BENGAL

DJIBOUTI

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GHANA

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MYANMAR (BURMA)

ARABIAN

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INDIA

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BURKINA

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GUINEA BISSAU

BHUTAN BANGLADESH

U.A.E

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SENEGAL THE GAMBIA

NEPAL

QATAR

MALI NIGER

REPUBLIC OF CAPE VERDE

BAHRAIN

JAPAN

CHINA

AFGHANISTAN IRAQ

Sea of Japan (East Sea)

S. KOREA

Yellow Sea

SYRIA

CYPRUS LEBANON ISRAEL

TUNISIA

EA DS RE

We reached more than 48,000 people with HIV and AIDS prevention services in 2012 alone.

Sea of Okhots

LITHUANIA

NETHERLANDS

ATLANTIC

Papua New Guinea

Laptev Kara Sea

Countries where Save the Children did not have a presence in 2011–12

Countries where Save the Children International works

Countries where Save the Children did not have a presence in 2012

The delineation of national boundaries on this map should not be considered definitive.

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Bass Strait

Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria & Tasmania We responded to floods and bushfires earlier this year by providing safe places for children to play and recover from the disasters.

OCEAN

Somalia GREENLAND

East Siberian Sea

Baffin

Beaufort Chukchi

Bay

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rait is St Dav

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Bering

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Gulf of Alaska CANADA

We are working in Darawish settlement, where 7,600 families live, providing food, water, health care, education and sanitation and hygiene programs.

NORTH NORTH

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PACIFIC

ATLANTIC Sargasso Sea

OCEAN GULF OF MEXICO

OCEAN

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MEXICO CUBA

DOMINICAN HAITI REPUBLIC PUERTO

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

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ANTIGUA &BARBUDA

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DOMINICA ST. LUCIA ST. VINCENT GRENADA

BARBADOS TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

VENEZUELA GUYANA SURINAME FR. GUIANA

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

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OLOMON SEA

BRAZIL

Timor Leste We have increased access to quality primary health care services by supporting 228 mobile health clinics for children and families in rural areas.

PERU

CORAL

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PACIFIC

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BOLIVIA

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NEW CALEDONIA (FR.)

AG UA Y

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NEW ZEALAND

Scotia Sea

Ross Sea

Amundsen Sea

Solomon Islands Our education program has reached over 2,000 out-ofschool children, helping them to re-engage with learning.

Bellingshausen Sea

Myanmar

The delineation of national boundaries on this map should not be considered definitive.

Our new program in Myanmar is working with local and international organisations to help thousands more children access quality kindergarten and basic education.

2013

Superfood for Today, one-third of child deaths are attributable to malnutrition. The reduction in malnutrition rates has been proceeding at a stubbornly slow pace. Around one in eight of the young lives lost each year could be prevented through breastfeeding, making it the most effective of all ways to prevent the diseases and malnutrition that can cause child deaths. However, global breastfeeding rates are stalling and actually declining across East Asia and in some of Africa’s most populous countries like Ethiopia and Nigeria. Save the Children believes there are four key factors for this: • A lack of empowerment and education for women which means that some harmful traditional practises, which undermine mums breastfeeding their babies, are still rife. Instead of live-saving colostrum, in some places, newborn babies are fed coffee, shea butter or ash in their first hour of life. • The severe shortages of midwives and health workers in the developing world, which means that information on the benefits of breastfeeding is inadequate, and there is not enough support to help mums once they give birth.

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babies

• Lack of adequate maternity legislation which makes breastfeeding and returning to work a challenge. In reality most mothers living in developing countries do not have access to any paid maternity leave. • Marketing practices by some breast milk substitute companies that can result in mothers believing that formula is the best way to feed their baby even if they can’t afford it. We believe stopping children from dying from preventable disease and hunger is possible in our lifetime, and breastfeeding can play a key part. Save the Children is calling on the world to rediscover the importance of breastfeeding and to demonstrate a commitment to supporting mothers to breastfeed their babies, especially in the poorest communities in the poorest countries. We’re calling on world leaders to take action to ensure that every infant is given the life-saving protection that breastfeeding can offer. Read the full report at savethechildren.org. au/superfood

Photo: Caroline Trutmann/Save the Children

Mwajuma holds her one-day-old baby boy who was born underweight.

Quick quiz question:What is the best food for babies, costs no money, and could save the lives of 95 babies an hour? answer: Breastmilk.

If new mothers around the world breastfed immediately after giving birth, 830,000 babies lives could be saved.

Photo: Ayesha Vellani/Save the Children

Save the Children’s new report, Superfood for Babies, shows that: • If babies receive colostrum – the mother’s first milk – within an hour of birth, it will kick start the child’s immune system, making them three times more likely to survive. • If the mother continues exclusive feeding for the next six months, then a child growing up in the developing world is up to 15 times less likely to die from killer illnesses like pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Photo: Ayesha Vellani/Save the Children

Karam feeds three-month-old Raeesa diluted cow’s milk.

Iffat breastfeeds her youngest baby, five-month-old Ahmad.

Karam and her husband live in Punjab, Pakistan. They had nine children, but three died as babies. Now Karam’s three-monthold daughter, Raeesa, is showing signs of malnutrition. Karam says that babies in her neighbourhood are generally not breastfed for their first three days. Instead, newborn babies are fed cow’s milk and ghutti – a cooked paste of seeds, herbs and petals – which is believed to “cleanse their stomachs,” said Karam. 2013

Photo: Elissa Bogos/Save the Children

Children of

uruzgan

We will establish 125 community-based classes in Uruzgan province by 2015. We are also starting early childhood development groups for younger children, and training teachers – particularly female teachers which is key to encouraging more girls to go to school. These activities are part of a larger four-year ‘Children of Uruzgan’ program, funded by AusAID, which is being delivered by Save the Children to improve the education and health of over 300,000 people, particularly women and children, in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. To learn more about our Children of Uruzgan program visit savethechildren.org.au/cou

learn i ng The day after Lal Jan announced that there would finally be a school and he would be the teacher, he had 42 children sitting in his yard waiting for the first lesson. Never in their lives had there been a school in their village. Of the 90 families in the community, just three people can read and write. This is not uncommon in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, a remote and impoverished part of the country. Just 8% of men and 0.3% of women can read and write. Eight out of ten children do not go to school. It’s not because they don’t want to. For three decades, schools were closed and children had no access to education. Now, schools are open but the distance to these schools means many children don’t attend. There is also a critical shortage of qualified teachers, particularly female teachers.

Children love coming to the community-based education class, which is supported by Save the Children.

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We’re setting up community-based education classes in remote areas to help children start their education journey. The villagers identify a teacher from their own community and provide a place for the classes – typically a room in

Photo: Elissa Bogos/Save the Children

g for the first time someone’s house or a space in the local mosque. Save the Children trains the teacher and provides ongoing support, and supplies learning materials. When the children have completed the early grades at the community-based classes and are old enough to make the journey, they can then join the closest formal school.

“He said if you hold a candle in the dark, you never stumble. I have stumbled a lot in my life. I don’t want my children to.”

And it’s not just the children who love to attend the class. Some of the older men of the village come along too. They accompany their young sons and daughters and shyly sit down at the back of the class. “I never learned to read and write,” says Haji, a farmer. “It will be good to finally be able to write a little.”

Photo: Elissa Bogos/Save the Children

For the last few weeks, 23 girls and 19 boys have gathered every afternoon to learn how to count, read and write. Two whiteboards lean against the cracked mud wall. Today, Lal Jan starts the class with some drawing. “They have so much fun drawing,” he says. He then moves onto simple math tasks. “Show me. How much is four?” he asks and most of the children raise the right number of fingers. “Four!” they shout.

Children raise four fingers during a maths lesson.

“The mullah [religious leader] said education is like a candle in the dark,” said another father. 2013

in Tasmania

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Young person in our Juvenile Justice program.

Photo: Save the Children Australia

ing upportyoung sat-risk people

Photo: Save the Children Australia

In Australia, 29% of those who commit crimes are young offenders, yet their age group makes up just 15% of the Australian population. It may also surprise you to learn that our Apple Isle, Tasmania, has the nation’s highest rate of young offenders1. Behind these statistics are real young people, whose lives have taken a different turn to most. Young people who sometimes just need a bit of guidance and support to help them turn their lives around. Our Supporting Young People on Bail program does just this. The program works with young people in Tasmania aged 12 to 18 who have been placed on bail. The success story of this program is the strong bonds these young offenders make with our youth workers – often these youth workers are the first positive role models they’ve ever had. Many of the young people we work with don’t trust adults, often for very good reasons. Most have also been in and out of the juvenile justice system for years and have family histories of offending. Our youth workers don’t focus on the young person’s offending or their past, but concentrate on the young person’s future. They provide practical support such as helping them register for school or vocational courses. The practical support helps to deepen the relationship so the youth worker can then broach more difficult but important topics such as drug and alcohol concerns. And it’s working. Since the program started, 67% of the young people we worked with did not reoffend while they were engaged with the program – and this figure could be as high as 81% as there are still some young people who are waiting for their day in court. Thanks to our Imagine supporters, these young people are building positive futures for themselves. Thank you. 1

Changing

Young people in our Juvenile Justice program.

There’s nothing like hearing about how your support is changing lives first-hand. Here’s a moving extract from a letter a teenage boy in our juvenile justice program in Tasmania wrote to the Minister for Children. “I’m writing to you to tell you just how well of a job Save the Children does. Since 2010 they have helped me turn my life around. They have supported me in so many ways with school, addiction and offending. I don’t know what I’d be doing or where I’d be if it wasn’t for Save the Children. It’s the only thing to help kids like me upon release from Ashleys [detention centre]. And get things in place for when they get out to minimise the chance of them going back. They make a huge difference in the community for young people. Thanks to Save the Children I haven’t committed an offence for a little bit over two years. Now I don’t drink or use drugs anymore. They have really helped me tern (sic) into a better positive young person.”

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011-12

lives

“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me – getting into trouble with the police. Because I met you (Save the Children youth worker) and you helped me get to UTurn (auto -motive course). I am the first one who has ever done and finished a course in my family,” said a young boy in our program.

“You helped me get my learners, reconnect with my family. I’m even being able to start having access visits with my brothers now because you have helped me make that happen. You didn’t even have to help me but you did. And by you saying yes to helping me kept me out of Ashley (detention centre),” said a young women in our program. 2013

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Join us online for exclusive behind the scenes content from our team in the office and out in the field. @savechildrenaus facebook.com/savethechildrenaustralia @savethechildrenaus

l ve to run?

Are you thinking of trying your first fun run in 2013? Make the world of difference for vulnerable children by joining in running events around Australia. Visit savethechildren.org.au/run to find out more.

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A little help can go a long, long, long way!

Saving newborn “I thought my daughter was dead. The umbilical cord was twisted around the baby’s neck,” said mum Khounthong from Laos, recalling the day she gave birth to her second child, Dok. During her pregnancy, Save the Children-trained health worker, Khamphanh, encouraged Khounthong to visit the Save the Childrensupported health clinic for regular check-ups. Everything was going smoothly, and Khounthong was looking forward to welcoming her new baby into the family. Following traditional practices, Khounthong decided to have her baby at home with Khamphanh’s help. Her labour was progressing normally, up until the baby was delivered. “There was a problem because the umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck,” recalls Khamphanh. “Then I thought about my training and the tools they gave me, and I took the tools out, cut the cord and sucked the water from the baby’s mouth. “After that I tried to resuscitate the baby, but she still was not breathing. I kept trying and then finally she started to breathe. After that

lives

the colour in her face became pink, it took five minutes to help her breathe.” Mum Khounthong said, “After the birth I had to rest for a while, and then I heard the baby cry. I felt really happy knowing that my baby was still alive. I am very happy that the health volunteer saved my daughter’s life.” Trained health workers are so often the deciding factor in whether children live or die. In fact, every three seconds a child’s life is saved thanks to care provided by a health worker1. Yet despite their life-saving abilities, today over one billion people still don’t have access to a health worker. This includes more than 40 million children under the age of five2. With the help of our supporters, Save the Children has already trained more than 178,000 health workers, which is good progress towards our goal of training 400,000 health workers by 2015. To see a video about Dok from Laos, visit savethechildren.org.au/health

http://frontlinehealthworkers.org/frontline-health-workers/how-they-save-lives/

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No Child Out Of Reach, Save the Children, 2011

Photo: Save the Children

From left: Health worker Khamphanh, Dok and mum Khounthong outside a Save the Children supported health centre in Laos.

Our program in Laos Save the Children’s Primary Health Care program in Laos has been working since 1992 to improve the health of women and children. The program started in Sayaboury Province where we, together with the local government, implemented a range of initiatives including building clinics, establishing mobile health teams for remote villages, training health workers and strengthening the local health system. Following a dramatic reduction in maternal and child mortality in the two provinces where we worked, we expanded the program to cover all eleven districts in Sayaboury Province. This expanded program helped the Laos Government achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in the province – reducing child mortality by two thirds and reducing maternal mortality by three quarters.

Health workers

The program has since expanded further, and is now also running in neighbouring Luang Prabang Province, initially in two districts. We aim to run this life-saving program in all 12 districts of Luang Prabang Province in the future. Photo: Save the Children

There are many life-saving things that health workers do, including: • Providing critical support to mothers before, during and after birth. • Providing basic health care that can save children’s lives, such as treatment for pneumonia or diarrhoea. • Helping families recognise warning signs of a life-threatening illness. • Educating parents on the importance of breastfeeding and a nutrious diet for both mother and child. Adequate nutrition could prevent one-third of under-five deaths. • Encouraging mothers to vaccinate their children. Vaccines against five deadly diseases cost less than $8 per child and already save 7,000 lives a day3.

Right: Mum Khounthong is so happy to have her little girl, Dok. Campaigning to save lives, Save the Children, 2011

2013

Children’s Emergency Fund

Thank you Thank you to our Children’s Emergency Fund (CEF) supporters who are saving lives every day. This year we have been able to provide funding for the following emergency responses, thanks to our generous CEF supporters: • Syrian refugee crisis: providing winter clothes and blankets, education, health and child protection programs. • Somalia crisis: providing shelter, water, nutrition, health, sanitation and hygiene, education and child protection programs. • Tasmanian, New South Wales and Victorian bushfires, and Queensland floods: set up child friendly spaces in evacuation and recovery centres for children to play and just be children, while their parents focused on rebuilding.

working together Save the Children Australia and the Red Cross have forged a new partnership, working together to help children and families affected by disasters in Australia. We will run Child Friendly Spaces in evacuation and recovery centres, which will complement the work by the Red Cross disaster relief and recovery teams who provide emotional support, reconnect family members and undertake recovery outreach of people affected by disasters. We have already put this partnership into play, working collaboratively to respond to disasters in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania earlier this year. 14

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supportin Australian Kelly couldn’t believe her bad luck when her Bundaberg home in Queensland was inundated with water on the Australia Day weekend this year. It was the third time in five years that she and her five children had lost everything. In 2008 their home was destroyed in a fire. Unable to rebuild, the family set up two caravans on their property, which was then flooded in late 2010. This year they thought the caravans would be protected if they were moved to higher ground, but the flood waters rose higher than they expected. Both caravans are now unliveable. “I’ve got to keep going for my kids. They can’t see me fall apart. What’s the alternative?” Kelly told Save the Children staff at the Bundaberg Evacuation Centre. Kelly has found it difficult getting her primary school-aged children, Lilly, 7, and Zaine, 10, ready in time to catch the bus to school while also looking after her 10-month-old, Jesse. As a result, Lilly and Zaine have been regularly checked into Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space, which is a therapeutic playgroup set up in the Bundaberg Evacuation Centre. In these spaces, children can just be children. They play with educational toys, read books with our workers and play with other children. Child Friendly Spaces can improve children’s psychosocial wellbeing by helping to re-establish routine, provide support and a sense of stability, as well as giving an opportunity to simply play and just be children again. Kelly was full of praise for Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space. “You girls have done a great job with the kids. My children love coming here,” she said. While her children are safely cared for, Kelly has been able to attend appointments and put a plan in place to get their home and lives back together.

Photo: Save the Children Australia

children

Children have fun at our Child Friendly Space in Bundaberg, which was set up following the devastating floods.

2013

Photo: Jonathan Hyams/Save the Children

Salim, two, at a refugee settlement near the Syrian border.

in Syria crisis For more than two years Syria’s children have endured appalling suffering. The deteriorating conflict in Syria has forced thousands of children and their families to abandon their homes and flee across the border into neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Many are fleeing with just the clothes on their backs and limited or no financial resources. As Syria’s civil war intensifies, children are being caught in the firing line. Thousands have died in attacks; many more have been severely injured or forced to flee their homes. Their lives are being torn apart as they experience and witness the most unspeakable atrocities. The daily struggle for survival grows ever more desperate as the conflict rages on. Most of those who have escaped into neighbouring countries are living in makeshift shelters, unfinished buildings or in overcrowded camps, amid growing shortages of food, medicine and water. The difficulty of reporting from inside Syria means the world has heard very little about the suffering of the country’s children. But our teams on the ground and across the region are

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hearing of the appalling misery being inflicted on children. This is Nidal’s story. “My name is Nidal. I am six years old. I left Syria eight days ago. What do I remember? Shelling. And explosions. “Houses fell, all because of an explosion. Another house was hit and was destroyed completely. There were people inside. (My grandma’s) house is filled with bullet holes, even the steel doors were broken. “Men were running and shooting. A man came to our house, opened the door violently and sat next to our window with his rifle. And they all started shooting. I was scared. I was scared when I saw the fire. I thought maybe the house would burn while we were inside. I thought I was going to die.” “My message to the world? The war should stop in Syria so we can go back to our country.” To read more or to donate to our response visit savethechildren.org.au/syria

Your support is saving children’s lives.

UKRAINE

KAZAKHSTAN

“Children are the untold story of this terrible crisis.”

MOLDOVA

Black Sea

BULGARIA

Aral Sea

ian sp Ca

ROMANIA

ARMENIA

UZ BE KIS TAN TURKMENISTAN

Sea

GEORGIA

AZERBAIJAN

TAJIKISTAN Australian aid worker Roger Hearn is leading Save the Children’s response in the Syria region.

TURKEY

SYRIA

CYPRUS LEBANON ISRAEL

IRAQ

IRAN

JORDAN KUWAIT

BAHRAIN

I UD SA

EGYPT

I AB AR

EA DS RE

QATAR U.A.E

“Before the conflict, Syria was a middle income country AFGHANISTAN where the population was generally well educated and quite healthy. Now, people don’t have basic shelter, don’t have basic sanitation supplies, and don’t have access to education or health services. Children are PAKISTAN seeing family members killed in front of them, areNEPAL seeing their houses destroyed and are being forced to flee their homes. Children are having their lives completely turned upside down. Many children have been out of school for more than two years.INDIA All of this OMAN creates huge trauma for children. ARABIAN

“We’ve had situations where children literally stop SEA is so great. But we’ve also seen talking, the trauma some positive situations where children, after they’ve had the chance to spend time in our Child Friendly Spaces, start to express themselves a little bit more and start to open up about what they have been through. Through drawings, through talking to other children and through play, children can slowly start to recover.”

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SUDAN

ETHIOPIA

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SOUTH SUDAN

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KENYA

RWANDA BURUNDI TANZANIA

Photo: Hedinn Halldorsson/Save the Children

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Children’s Emergency Fund

ZIMBABWE

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COMOROS MAYOTTE (FRANCE)

SRI LANKA

our work

Children play at our child friendly space.

ZAMBIA

KYRGYZSTAN

RÉUNION (FRANCE)

We are working to reach over 700,000 people in Syria and across the region. Save the Children is on the ground: • Distributing food and essential items such as soap, towels, blankets and toothbrushes to INDIAN children and families arriving in refugee camps. • Providing safe spaces for children to play and recover from the trauma they have experienced. • Providing toolkits with equipment and supplies for families to supplement and protect their shelters. • Providing cash transfers to help families buy food, water and other essential items. MAURITIUS • Providing educational support and assistance to help children catch-up on what they have missed and continue their education.

OCEAN

SWAZILAND 2013

Photo: Save the Children

A different way to help More and more people are choosing to celebrate special occasions, such as weddings or birthdays, by inviting their guests to make a donation to a special cause rather than receiving presents. We’ve also had a number of wonderful supporters make ‘gifts in memory’ to remember and honour loved ones. Why not consider doing the same on your special day, or to remember your loved one? Your support helps two-fold – celebrating or remembering, as well as helping vulnerable children in Australia and around the world. It’s easy to set up your own personalised webpage to email to your friends, or we can provide you with leaflets for you to give to your friends and family. Find out more at savethechildren.org.au/gifts or contact Jolene on 03 9938 2051 or jolene.molloy@savethechildren.org.au.

national children’s week National Children’s Week is a celebration of the contribution kids make to the community. For Save the Children Australia, it is a chance to also highlight the plight of many millions of children around the world who are denied the basic necessities of a safe and educated childhood. October 19-27 is a time for children to demonstrate their talents, skills and abilities and for adults to acknowledge the importance of ensuring all vulnerable young people have the chance to survive and thrive. We are marking this important week with a range of fun activities and events around the country. Check savethechildren.org.au closer to the date for more information. 18

Save the Children Australia’s Supporter Magazine

Get invo Save the Children Australia staff member, Janosh, led a team of 17 wonderful volunteers through Nepal – trekking, meeting local villagers and visiting two Save the Children programs. He tells us about his experience. Emotions were running high when our team of 17 weary travellers arrived back to our Kathmandu hotel. We were bursting with stories, memories and experiences from our 12 days in Nepal. It’s an experience that I will cherish forever. Our volunteers had raised $60,000 for two Save the Children programs, which they saw in action. We were thrilled to see the health centre, which the villagers had told us was so vital to their health and survival. Funds raised by our volunteers will buy much needed medical equipment for the centre. We also visited a small village school, which was so remote that the teacher walks for two hours every day just to get there and back - we know this as we met her coming up the hill while we were making our descent. Together with locals, we spent hours digging and carrying dirt to build

Photo: Save the Children

olved the foundations of the school, which will be built with the funds raised by our volunteers. I trekked out of the village with a completely different outlook on life, and I’m sure many of our volunteers felt the same.

Photo: Save the Children

Volunteers Sarah, Tim and Kerry in Nepal.

Starting the new school construction was a highlight of the trip.

What message do I have for you? Jump on a plane, travel to Nepal and meet the children who directly benefit from our programs! It’s a life-changing adventure that everyone should experience. We are now taking registrations for November’s trip to Nepal; I look forward to seeing you on it.

Photo: Save the Children

Save the Children’s Adventure Volunteering Program offers travellers unique and lifechanging experiences. Mixing your sense for adventure travel with philanthropy, these trips ask for volunteers to challenge themselves physically, while raising much needed funds for children and their families. Visit savethechildren.org.au/adventure or contact Janosh on 03 9452 1321 or janosh.biczok@savethechildren.org.au to find out more. The trek was scenic and challenging. 2013

Save the Children volunteers from the Fremantle shop in WA.

Op shop volunteers:

e c n e r e f if d f o d l r making the wo Save the Children’s volunteers come from all different backgrounds and stages in their lives, but they share one common goal: helping vulnerable children. Many of our volunteers work in Save the Children’s stores around Australia, which generate vital income and awareness for our work. The stores sell everything from vintage fashion and jewellery to pre-loved books, ornaments and gifts. Mollie Stevens from Western Australia has volunteered her time for more than 10 years, and the 78-year-old has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Mollie says volunteering at the Save the Children op shop is a great way to meet people. “You never know what or who will come through the door, it’s always interesting and always different,” she says. “You can’t sit in your unit all of your life. I get a lot of pleasure out of volunteering, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the staff and customers and have made a lot of friends.” 20

Save the Children Australia’s Supporter Magazine

Another volunteer, Anne Fulcher from Queensland, says she was inspired by Save the Children’s work both in Australia and overseas. “I’m so pleased that whenever disaster strikes, anywhere in the world, Save the Children is always there to help. We certainly keep this in mind when we’re volunteering at the shop,” she says. “We all want to help children...and it’s a great organisation that does so much to help vulnerable children.” We are looking for more volunteers for our op shops and depots in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. If you’d like to help improve the lives of the world’s poorest children, meet new people and gain some retail experience, we’d love to hear from you. Please go to www.savethechildren.org. au/volunteer or call 1800 76 00 11 for more information.

Photo: Save the Children

Wanted:

Save the Children stores around Australia Scarborough Midland Tuart Hill

Op shop volunteers for stores across Australia!

savethechildren.org.au/ volunteer 1800 76 00 11

Mount Hawthorn Subiaco Mosman Park

East Victoria Park

Caloundra Toowoomba

Myaree Fremantle

Margate

Woody Point

Strathpine Elizabeth South Kilburn

Ararat

St Agnes

St Morris Eastwood Daw Park Blackwood Mt Barker Brighton Old Reynella Christieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beach Glenelg

Hobart

Manly West

Cleveland

Willunga Strathalbyn Victor Harbour

2013

world’s Children 2013

Saving newborn

lives

$100 could buy

Health worker, Khamphanh, saved the life of baby Dok. She was born with the umbilical cord around her neck and Khamphanh, drawing on the training she received from Save the Children, knew what to do to save the newborn’s life.

essential materials for a health worker, including equipment to resuscitate a newborn, a cooler to hold vaccinations, and tools such as a thermometer, flashlight and measuring spoons.

Thanks to Khamphanh’s training and quick response, Dok is now a healthy four-yearold girl. Her mother, Khounthong is so happy to have her little girl and grateful to Khamphanh for saving her life.

$150 could provide

a week’s worth of medical supplies for a health worker to treat common illnesses affecting mothers and newborns.

See pages 12-13 for more about baby Dok’s story.

Save the Children Level 6, 250 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, VIC 3002

T 1800 76 00 11

F +61 3 9938 2099

ABN: 99 008 610 035

Thank you for your support. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Funds are used to improve the lives of children around the world including but not restricted to those described in this mailing. You can view our privacy policy online at savethechildren.org.au.

savethechildren.org.au/health

1800 76 00 11

STC00916

Yes, I will help more newborns survive. Name:

Please find enclosed my donation of: $30

Address: Suburb:

State: Postcode:

Phone: Mobile: Email: Date of Birth:

1 Simply complete this donation form and return it to Save the Children Australia in the enclosed reply paid envelope. 2 Visit savethechildren.org.au/health and click through to the donation page to fill in your details in a secure online environment. 3 Call our toll free number 1800 76 00 11 and make a donation over the phone.

$100

Other:

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3 easy ways to make your gift:

$50

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Or a cheque/money order made payable to Save the Children Australia is enclosed. Please send me more information about becoming a monthly supporter. I’m interested in leaving a gift in my Will. I’ve already included a gift in my Will.