Annual Report 2004 - Save the Children

provide children with opportunities, tools and guidance:
opportunities to improve their reading and writing skills,
tools such as books, learning materials, literacy games and
computers to develop their reading comprehension skills, and
guidance and support they need to grow as readers.
£ School Health and Nutrition. Students from 6 to 12 years
of age receive prevention and treatment for malaria, anemia
and intestinal parasites under this school-based program.
The programs also provide vitamin supplementation, potable
water, hygiene facilities, vision and hearing screening, and
health education. In the United States, programs provide
children with opportunities for regular physical activity, and
for nutrition to prevent obesity.
Sisters Christine, 12, and Charmine, 11, of Manila, the Philippines work on their
homework.
centers are built and upgraded as part of this program, which
also provides caregivers with supplies and training in child
development, education, hygiene, nutrition and disease
prevention. In the United States, programs are providing
training and educational materials including books to
promote parents’ reading to their preschool children.
£ Primary Education. Children aged 6 to 15 attend schools
based on community needs under this program, which builds
and supplies the schools as well as training faculty and administration
in active, student-centered education. Curricula
and academic schedules are responsive to local culture. U.S.
education programs focus on improving literacy through
after-school, summer and in-school support. These programs
Children at a Save the Children-supported school in Mali.
£ Adolescent Development. Improved learning opportunities
and greater access to health information and health
services help adolescents aged 12 to 18 prepare for the
challenges facing them as they mature. These programs seek
to ensure a healthier transition to adulthood, with lower rates
of HIV/AIDS and the literacy, numeracy and livelihood skills
needed for success in life.
£ HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention. Focusing on the needs
of orphans and vulnerable children of all ages, HIV/AIDS
programs provide assistance with school fees, support for
basic food and shelter, economic opportunities for older
children and caregivers, planning for bereavement and
guardianship, and preventive information.
Monitoring and evaluation: a “feedback loop” of
knowledge. Children aren’t the only ones learning in sponsorship
programs. Central to the modernization of sponsorship is its
improved monitoring and evaluation system, or “M&E,” enabling
field workers and technical staff to track the performance of
program initiatives more closely than ever before – learning what’s
working and why, so successes can be replicated and strengthened.
“Our updated M&E system is huge news for sponsorship,” says
Moran. “It’s not just for setting and meeting performance goals,
important as that is. It will also enable us to take a closer look at
the biggest factors that lead to positive change in children’s lives,
and then make sure that our activities are structured to make the
most of those factors.” Save the Children launched this new
focus on M&E in 2003; Moran expects the new evaluation
methodology to be fully in place by 2005.
Funding trends: continued growth, greater loyalty,
increased flexibility. Since its inception, sponsorship has
been the deciding factor behind many contributions and a vivid
showcase for success in the field. In 2004 sponsor contributions
accounted for more than $29 million in total donations – up
seven percent over the previous year. Retention of sponsors from
year to year has also been improving, and has reached the highest
level we have ever recorded – over 84 percent.
26 CRITICAL CHOICES FOR THE WORLD,S CHILDREN