Save the Children Sweden’s roots go back to 1919, when a trade embargo imposed on Germany and its allies at the end of World War I led to starvation among 3 million children. In Cambridge, UK, Eglantyne Jebb began a campaign against the blockade by holding meetings, raising petitions and distributing pamphlets to have the embargo lifted and aid sent to war survivors.
On 19 May 1919, Jebb organised a mass meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in London, an event that marked the birth of the first Save the Children organisation.
In August 1919, Marion Chadwick, a 71-year-old associate of Jebb, travelled to Sweden. There, she met several like-minded and distinguished Swedish women, including Gerda Marcus and Elin Wägner. In October, the women met Baroness Ellen Palmstierna. On 19 November 1919, Save the Children Sweden – Rädda Barnen – was founded, with Baroness Palmstierna as a chairwoman. This marked the beginning of Save the Children Sweden’s work to improve the children’s rights and lives of children in Sweden and around the world.
For more information about our history, visit Save the Children's history .