Speaking out for children
from the start

Eglantyne Jebb

In 1919, after the First World War, children in Austria and Eastern Europe were dying of hunger. Ignoring the many angry views in Britain that she was helping “children of the enemy,” Eglantyne Jebb began the Save the Children Fund to supply food to starving Austrian children.

In 1923, when the Russian relief effort was coming to an end, Eglantyne turned to another issue—that of children’s rights. She headed to a meeting of the International Union in Geneva with a plan for a Children’s Charter. The result was a short and clear document, drafted by Eglantyne, which asserted the rights of children and the duty of the international community to put children’s rights in the forefront of planning.

The Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted a year later by the League of Nations. The rights outlined in this declaration are now part of the laws of nearly every country in the world, protecting millions of children.

Eglantyne was driven by the belief that all children—whoever they are, wherever they are—have the right to a healthy, happy, fulfilling life. Her work is the foundation on which we are building a better future for children today.