Children International history

After the defeat of Germany in World War II, for example, the Potsdam Conference of 1945 authorized the transfer of German minorities from a number of European countries, and 12 million Germans were dumped on the truncated territory of Germany, which was split into east and west regions.

The partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 resulted in the exchange of 18 million Hindus from Pakistan and Muslims from India—the greatest population transfer in history.

Palestine’s partition in 1948 triggered an almost wholesale exodus of Palestinian Arabs in the wake of a military confrontation between the new state of Israel and neighbouring Arab countries.

When the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, more than 2 million Chinese fled to Taiwan and to the British crown colony of Hong Kong.

1950 • Our work expands to include education and farming programs in France, Holland, Italy, West Germany, Austria, Finland, Greece, Lebanon and South Korea.

1954 • Sponsorship programs are launched for children in ravaged post-war Europe, providing them with shelter, food, health care and schooling. • Sponsorships for United States children are expanded to include scholarships for Native American children.

1959 • Save the Children expands to Asia and the Middle East with education and farming programs.

1963 • Save the Children opens its first Latin American field office in Colombia, with a focus on community-development programs.

1966 • Save the Children expands to Vietnam with a community-development program.

1968 • The Appalachian Fireside Craft Project (AFC) launches.

1969 • Save the Children opens its first African field office in Tanzania.

Some 8–10 million persons were also temporarily made refugees by the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.

1972 • High-impact sponsorship begins in Dominican Republic, combining child-focused community development programs.

1977 • Save the Children expands to Upper Volta (modern-day Burkina Faso) starting the region's first community development program.

1979 • Save the Children expands to El Salvador with a community development program.

1982 • Save the Children Federation marks the agency's 50th anniversary as programs open in the Philippines, Republic of Kiribati and Bhutan.

The meeting leads to the formal establishment of the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) in 1995.

The hospital remained open until 1996.

2002 • The America's Forgotten Children report spotlights 2.5 million children living in rural poverty in the United States.

Susana became a member of Children International’s board of directors in 2004 and shares our passion of bringing real and lasting change to children living in poverty.

Although the numbers varied from year to year, each of the two regions accounted for more than three million refugees in 2005.