Do you know what our work really looks like? Let’s bust a few myths
The work we do at Save the Children is complex and spans the globe – and it takes a lot of people to make it happen. With more than a century of experience running life-changing programs, it’s no wonder a few misconceptions have popped up along the way. So let’s set the record straight and bust a few of the most common myths about what we do, and share a fuller picture of how we support children to survive, learn and thrive.
“All your work happens overseas”
Not quite. Yes, we’re a global organisation active in more than 100 countries, but we’re also deeply embedded here in Australia. Through our domestic arm, 54 Reasons, we deliver services in every state and the Northern Territory. In fact, in 2024, we reached more than 18,000 people through our programming in Australia. From early learning and family support to youth justice advocacy and trauma recovery, we work alongside children, families and communities to make children’s rights real — right here at home.
“Everyone who works at Save the Children is a volunteer”
We love our volunteers, and we’re grateful for every hour they can give us. But when it comes to our programming, this work is led by experienced professionals: child protection specialists, trauma-informed therapists, nurses, doctors, educators and more. These are people with decades of experience, whose fulltime jobs are designing and delivering child-focused programs in some of the world’s most complex environments. In 2024, Save the Children operated in 108 countries with each of our projects staffed by experts from all over the world who believe that children deserve a safe, healthy and hopeful future.
“Aid is just about giving handouts that don’t change anything”
Our work is incredibly diverse. Depending on the context, we might be establishing safe shelters for people evacuating a crisis, supporting local teams to establish medical facilities, training teachers to deliver state of the art curriculum to students, supporting people through recovery following traumatic events, developing ingenious methods to prevent the spread of diseases, working with governments to change systems and enshrine equality into laws … and yes: we also provide lifesaving food, clean water, blankets and clothing when that’s what’s needed most. But even these things we endeavour to source locally, so that affected economies are not faced with the influx of supplies from overseas. In 2024 the global Save the Children movement reached 356 million people through localised projects tailored to the needs of children and families in each specific community.
Want to see the full picture?
We’ve just released our latest Annual Report — packed with stats and stories from the past year in Australia and around the world. If you want a thorough picture of what Save the Children does, this is the place to start.
Read our Annual Report and explore our impact.