New Zealand
11 November 2007
Putting children first for 60 years
Almost NZ$300 million* has been raised by Save the Children New Zealand since its inception in Aotearoa 60 years ago.
On the eve of the 2007 Annual General Meeting, Save the Children New Zealand celebrates the 60th anniversary of an organisation dedicated to improving opportunities for children around the globe.
Executive Director, John Bowis says, “Save the Children New Zealand started in Christchurch in 1947 and has since grown to 31 branches throughout the country. I’m proud of the life-saving work our staff and volunteers have helped to achieve in many parts of the world during the past 60 years.”
New Zealand staff and volunteers will hear more about those global activities first-hand from two international keynote speakers, Venetia Bellers and Manish Jain, who are attending Save the Children New Zealand’s Annual General Meeting which takes place in Wellington from 2-4 November.
Venetia Bellers is an Emergencies Adviser from Save the Children UK who has worked on the ground in the recent Peru earthquake and in humanitarian disasters in Darfur, Eritrea, Angola, India and Indonesia. She brings extensive experience of responding to man-made and natural emergencies.
Speaker Manish Jain has also worked in international development and emergency programmes in India, Afghanistan, Mozambique and Sudan. He currently heads Save the Children’s NZ$7 million programme of work in Papua New Guinea.
Save the Children joint Patrons will also attend. His Excellency the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Honourable Anand Satyanand, will officiate the official opening of the Meeting. Her Excellency Mrs. Susan Satyanand will present the Save the Children New Zealand Awards, including 8 awards to volunteers who have given a combined total of nearly 200 years’ service.
Also out this week is Save the Children’s 2007 Annual Report which highlights a “ground-breaking” year for contributions.
“I’m pleased to report in this milestone year that total revenue increased from $9.7 million to almost $16 million,” said Mr Bowis.
“This growth in revenue has enabled us to spend over $13 million on our programme work, which has grown significantly in Papua New Guinea, especially in HIV/AIDS work, and in several other countries where we have targeted the 39 million children in countries affected by conflict who don’t have access to education, through Save the Children’s global Rewrite the Future campaign.”