What we do
 

Frequently asked questions

What is the International Save the Children Alliance?

 

Save the Children New Zealand is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance.  With 27 national organisations and operational programs in over 120 countries, the Alliance is the world’s largest global movement for children.  

  

How does Save the Children New Zealand work?


Save the Children New Zealand builds local, regional and global partnerships to establish a broader movement to support and implement children's rights. This involves working with international organisations and UN agencies and includes support to organisations run by children and young people to enable them to champion their own rights. In many countries, Save the Children New Zealand works with coalitions of children's rights organisations to develop awareness of children's rights. It is also piloting a variety of methods of enabling children to participate more actively in decisions that affect them.   

  

Does Save the Children work in New Zealand as well as overseas?

 

Save the Children works overseas and in New Zealand. However, a relatively small proportion of our funds are spent in New Zealand. All of our work, whether overseas or in New Zealand reflects our commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

 

Why doesn’t Save the Children New Zealand sponsor children?

 

Save the Children New Zealand used to have a child sponsorship scheme but this has been phased out. Save the Children believes that the best way to assist children is through their community. Our experience has shown that by supporting a community instead of an individual child, the benefits are more widely enjoyed and more readily sustained.

Community sponsorship also reduces the administrative costs compared to individual sponsorship, ensuring that more funds directly benefit the children and their community. It’s also important to us that one child or family is not seen to be favoured. One child or family receiving letters and gifts, while others do not, can be misinterpreted or encourage a feeling of dependency.

 

What role does advocacy play?


Save the Children New Zealand plays a critical advocacy role. We lobby governments and the international community, highlighting failures in public policy and private practice that represent violations of children's rights. Save the Children New Zealand must act as the custodians of children's rights, sharing the responsibility to fight for their recognition and defence.

Save the Children New Zealand focuses on research and advocacy, which brings the lack of recognition of children's rights to the attention of decision-makers, politicians, and opinion makers across the world. This work has focused on:

  • Raising the awareness of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 
  • Encouraging the practical implementation of the Convention globally 
  • Supporting the monitoring mechanisms established by the Convention

 

What is the percentage of your costs spent on programmes?


We aim for 80% of our income to go to programmes, with 20% spent on administration and fundraising. This means that 80 cents of every dollar goes directly to children.

 

Are fundraising costs really necessary?


Fundraising costs are those costs incurred while seeking voluntary contributions and include costs such as salaries to fundraisers, agency fees, design, printing and postage costs.

Save the Children New Zealand spends money on fundraising so that we can continue to receive money to improve children's lives in the long term. We see it as an investment, which enables us to gain new supporters, both regular and one time donors; both corporate and individual; and to retain existing donors.

 

How can I as a young person help Save the Children New Zealand?


Young people's participation is very important! You can learn about child rights and inform others; start a club at your school, or hold a special event like a party or bake sale to help raise money to support Save the Children. Visit the Volunteering section of this web site to learn about the ways people of any age can make a difference.