In January 2025, Sarah Spong spoke to the ladies of the Inner Wheel, Deal.
Pictured from left to right – Gillian Heath, secretary of the Inner Wheel, Janet Barkway President and Sarah Spong.
We would be delighted to speak , without charge, to your group about the work of Save the Children, This year Sarah Spong spoke to Probus, Canterbury and the talk was enjoyed by all attending. She also presented an assembly at Temple Ewell School as they kindly supported Save the Children Jumper Day again. She focused on the main areas of Save the Children work, namely, treating malnutrition, providing health care, responding to emergencies, providing protection and education.
This year has been incredibly challenging for Save the Children, with reduced aid funding , weaker international cooperation and increasing global risks. Against this backdrop, we are so proud of our achievements including –
-securing the scrapping of the Two Child Limit after years of campaigning.
-making a tangible difference for families across the UK nations, for example through the Baby Bank Alliance. (This is an alliance with other partners and together we provide essential items for families struggling with the cost of living crisis).
-standing up for children and their communities in our advocacy against UK aid cuts.
-supporting Save the Children programmes and partners around the world to achieve breakthroughs for children.
-influencing global responses to crises including Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.
Save the Children will do whatever it takes to protect children and to ensure that they achieve their full potential.
Some of the ongoing projects are mentioned under past events for 2025.
The Democractic Republic of Congo, is one of the worst places to be a child. And for those children who are female, the outcomes are especially grim. When it comes to education -perhaps one of the surest routes out of poverty – girls are disproportionately disadvantaged. The reasons are complex but include discrimination and unequal gender roles and early marriage and pregnancy. Save the Children is leading a UK Aid Funded programme together with local partners to improve girls’ lives and futures. We build schools and train teachers as well as providing childcare for teen mums so they can return to learning in a classroom as well as vocational training. If it were not for this Save the Children programme many children would have no education whatsoever.
Since October 2023 more than 100 000 Palestinians have crossed the border from Gaza into Egypt in search of safety. Save the Children provides it through our safe spaces where kids who’ve been through so much can play, learn and feel something like normal. Shadi, 13 took part in the workshop. She says ‘When I enter the child friendly space I feel as though I have arrived at my second home, a place that embraces me with love and safety. Here the smiling faces seem to say ‘you are always welcome’
In countries such as Bangladesh, young girls are married while still a teenager. Child marriage is common in Bangladesh; 52% of girls are married. Save the Children runs classes to try to raise awareness of the dangers of child marriage with a view to ending the practice. By enabling the girls to continue schooling or earning an income it makes it much easier for them to avoid marrying early.
Sudan is now the largest child displacement crisis in the world with 6.5 million children uprooted from their homes as a result of conflict. Save the Children is running mobile health clinics in camps for displaced people and identifying and treating malnourished children. We aer also working to ensure access to clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion activities to prevent the spread of disease.
Locally in Margate together with KCC and other local partners, Save the Children has set up the Early Learning Community. The aim of the project is to improve early learning outcomes for children under 5 growing up in poverty. The project provides support for parents which ensures that parents are aware of the support that is available to them as well as ensuring that families have access to support relating to mental health.
Warmest wishes from all of us at Save the Children Deal Branch
