Achievements and ambitions

Over the past year, we're proud to say we've reached over 7 million children through our work. So that we can be properly held to account for how we spend our money, we've developed a way of estimating the number of children we reach. For the first time we're able to include these figures in our annual report.

By 2017 we committed ourselves to creating a world in which:

  • it’s no longer acceptable for children to die before their fifth birthday from preventable causes at the rate that’s tolerated today — one every three seconds
  • every child, even those caught up in disaster or war, can expect a basic education
  • in the UK, one of the world’s richest countries, a million children no longer live in severe and persistent poverty
  • orphans and other children at risk are protected and cared for in their own communities, not put in institutions
  • children and their carers have a real say in what we do and how we do it, and can hold us to account.

We’re also aiming, as part of the Save the Children Alliance, to become the top emergency response agency for children — raising more money, responding more quickly and effectively, saving more lives. And we’ll help more children in fragile countries — the places where war, disasters and the collapse of government put children at risk.

Students in an accelerated learning school for street working children in north-eastern Afganistan

Advancing on all fronts

Over the past year, we have pushed forward on all these fronts — reaching 7.25 million children in 2008/09, nearly 20% more than last year.

Working with others to build a movement to persuade, encourage and inspire large-scale and sustainable change, we’ve taken significant steps towards achieving our breakthrough goals.

  • In the first year of our newborn and child survival campaign, 400,000 people signed up to support it.
  • Working as part of the International Save the Children Alliance, the number of children we helped get a better education in places where there is conflict or crisis reached 10.6 million.
  • We helped push the British government to contribute nearly £1 billion to end child poverty in the 2008 budget — but failed in 2009, as the new budget left poor children even more vulnerable in a recession.
  • We made strides towards our goal of becoming the world’s leading emergency agency for children, spending £88.7 million, including responding to 30 disasters.
  • We were the number one emergency response agency in Myanmar (Burma) after Cyclone Nargis struck, and were at the forefront of responding to complex emergencies worldwide.
  • At £10 million, income from supporters and private donors for emergencies exceeded our target of £7.5 million, though we did not raise as much as we expected for education in emergencies.
  • Policy-makers listened when we spoke — and acted. From debates at the UN General Assembly to national governments putting new teachers on payrolls, we’ve made a demonstrable difference to policies across the globe.
  • Our income shot up to £216 million — £55.2 million more than the previous year. Income from supporters and private donors reached £79.7 million, 17% up on last year.