Save the Children : Save the Children in Perú

We are an international organization working in more than 120 countries to promote and defend children’s rights.

We have been working for more than 100 years for a world that respects every child and adolescent, that promotes their participation as agents of change, that listens to them and learns from them. We also work to encourage world leaders and officials to make decisions based on the best interests of the child, and thus ensure that every child has opportunities to live a life of dignity.

To date, it’s been 40 years working in different regions of Peru.

Our history

1919

Eglantyne Jebb stands up for children.

Appalled by the situation of children in Austria and Germany, starving after World War I, our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, launched the Save the Children Fund to raise funds to help them.

1924

Drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child

The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the draft of which was written by Eglantyne Jebb, was adopted by the League of Nations.

1930

Expansion to Africa, Asia and America

During the 1930s, we went on to create the Child Protection Committee to protect the rights of children in Africa and Asia; we opened our first office in Africa (Ethiopia), and began work in the United States to help children affected by the Great Depression.

1980

First steps in Peru

In 1980, we first arrived in Peru through Save the Children UK. We started working on health projects in Villa el Salvador in Lima, in the country’s central jungle region, and also promoting community development in Cusco. From that moment on, little by little, other offices of our organization began to work in Peruvian territory.

1997

Children's rights take center stage locally

After an arduous advocacy effort, the Local Ombudsperson's Offices for Children and Adolescents (DEMUNAs) promoted by Save the Children went on to be included in the Organic Law of Municipalities. From then on, each Peruvian municipality is responsible for implementing these offices to protect and promote the rights of children and adolescents in its jurisdiction.

2007

Joining forces and responding to an emergency

In August of this year, we joined the efforts to provide shelter, food, access to hygiene and emotional support to the more than 430,000 people (including children and adolescents) affected by the earthquake in Pisco. This was also the year in which we decided to establish a unified presence in Peru: all Save the Children offices working in Peruvian territory came together to form a single voice for Peruvian children.

2011

Creation of our Country Office in Peru

After 30 years working in Peruvian territory, we decided to unify our efforts permanently in Peru. This is how we opened our Country Office for Peru and Ecuador in Lima under the official name Save the Children International.

2017

Emergency on the Peruvian coast

The Coastal El Niño Phenomenon brought very heavy rains, floods and landslides that affected homes and crops all along the Peruvian and Ecuadorian coast. We worked to provide humanitarian aid to the children and families affected in the north of Peru. This was also a great driver to emphasize our work in disaster risk prevention in subsequent years.

2018

Migration crisis

Instability, hyperinflation, unemployment, food and medical shortages and other very serious problems left hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan families in need to migrate. Therefore, we began to develop a strategy to respond to this crisis, to restore and ensure the right to survival, nutrition, health care and education of the Venezuelan population in Peruvian territory.

2020

Responding to a pandemic

Our 40th anniversary in Peru, found us challenged by a world facing a pandemic of unprecedented proportions: COVID-19. In this context, we renew our commitment to the children of Peru and are in the process of adapting our intervention to protect their rights. As an organization, we will provide a global response to this global threat.

1919
Eglantyne Jebb stands up for children.

1924
Drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child

1930
Expansion to Africa, Asia and America

1980
First steps in Peru

1997
Children's rights take center stage locally

2007
Joining forces and responding to an emergency

2011
Creation of our Country Office in Peru

2017
Emergency on the Peruvian coast

2018
Migration crisis

2020
Responding to a pandemic

Our vision

A world in which every child attains the right to:

Survival

Protection

Development

Participation

Our mission

To inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Learn more about our institutional policies here

Save the Children