By MMELI MKHWANAZI | 2024-05-07

The future looks bleak for thousands of vulnerable children who are beneficiaries of programmes spearheaded by Save The Children.

This is because the NGO is likely to be liquidated as donors diverted funds to other non-governmental organisations in the country.

These sentiments were shared by Coordinating Assembly for Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) Executive Director Thembinkosi Dlamini when sought to comment on reports suggesting that Save The Children was faced with financial difficulties. The reports suggested that the NGO might no longer continue executing its mandate in the country, which was to ensure that children’s rights were made a reality within the country’s context as outlined in the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter.

In response to this, Dlamini said he had been approached by stakeholders who rolled out projects with Save The Children (NGO) as they requested to implement their projects with other NGOs.

approached

“In the past two months we have been approached by donors who had partnered with Save The Children in previous years and have been advising them in the process. They have since asked to divert their funds to other non-governmental organisations in the country,” he shared.

This, he said, implied that the NGO might be liquidated, adding that the NGO could return in the near future with a new mandate.

“I can also confirm that there are many NGOs which are presently faced with similar financial distress as there are now less international donors assisting NGOs to execute their respective objectives.”

Dlamini said this primarily owed to climate change and the on-going Israel –Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars. He stated that some of the international donors have had to divert funds to address some of the disasters in the world caused by climate change.

He then opined that there needed to be an engagement with government on a way forward to curb this trend as NGOs were a vital aiding component in the country as they assisted where government could not reach.

In this regard, he then suggested that corporate companies assist with subventions which would assist NGOs continue with their mandates like in yesteryears.

He said if government could introduce a tax rebate or tax reduction to companies who donated to NGOs, there could be a significant change as NGOs could get funding.

implemented

Meanwhile, Save The Children has implemented two programmes, namely ‘HIV/AIDS Knows No Bounds’ and another which catered for vulnerable children across the country through providing nutrition.

Save The Children Executive Director Dumisani Mnisi said the programme on nutrition would soon be wrapped up.

“The organisation will soon run the programme on HIV/AIDS which commenced in 2021 and will end in 2026. Donors come and go as they normally assist monetarily for a period of two to three years. This is not unusual as NGOs operate in this manner, but what I can say is that we will continue with our mandate as long as there are funds readily available from the donor,” he said.

When asked on the fate of the NGO’s employees; he said “if a project ends and there are no funds available, there will be no reason to keep employees as this is how NGOs operate. We are currently on a transition phase right now, meaning we will continue to operate as long as there are funds at our disposal.”

 

nutritional

The NGO has previously partnered with the nutritional council, regional offices, ministry of health and the ministry of education and training, to name a few.

It came to existence in the early 1960s as a school feeding and sponsorship programme.  By the late 1990s, the NGO repositioned its work to focus on child protection as its core function. 

Save The Children is a member of the national umbrella body called  CANGO. It is also a member of Save the Children International, the world’s largest global movement for children, which has operational programmes in over 130 countries.

 

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