GSK and Save the Children: A U.S. Disaster Response Partner
Save the Children and GSK have partnered together in the U.S since 2015, providing immediate emergency relief to children and families when disaster strikes and working to build safer and more resilient communities.
"Our partnership with GSK has been crucial to our ability to meet the needs of children and families after large scale disaster. Through GSK’s continued support Save the Children is ready to meet the needs of children and families who are impacted by emergencies during their most challenging times," said David Niersbach, Head of US Emergencies, Protection, and Psychosocial Programs.
Our Local Program Impact
GSK's generous funding allows Save the Children to respond immediately to any crisis affecting U.S. children at scale, or in communities where Save the Children works. It also supports the continued strengthening of Save the Children’s staff capacity and operational systems, the prepositioning of supplies, as well as continued critical relationships with external partners to improve Save the Children’s ability to respond to U.S. disasters and maximize impact for children in times of need.
While we cannot predict when or how many disasters will occur, the specific duration and frequency of disaster response programs varies to match the scope and scale of impact. Save the Children focuses our services in immediate relief through distribution of child-focused goods like diapers, hygiene kits, cribs, and school supplies and developmental toys. We provide emergency grants and supplies to early education and community organizations serving children so they can reopen as quickly as possible and children can return to their normal routine. We help children and caregivers cope, recover and prepare for future disasters through social-emotional and resilience trainings and capacity building. Save the Children prioritizes the most at-risk children and works in partnership with state and local agencies to ensure our interventions are tailored to best meet the needs of communities we work in.
We target children who experience inequality or discrimination and at-risk children and their families when disaster strikes a community. While in many instances disaster relief efforts are focused in the highest populated most media visible areas, we ensure our efforts also extend into areas that are otherwise forgotten, as these areas are often resource poor before a disaster and they need extra support to recover in the aftermath. Most of our interventions focus on children ages 0-12, their families, caregivers and the services that support their education, development and wellbeing.
Our Transformational Global Partnership
GSK and Save the Children united in 2013 to reduce preventable deaths and illness of children under the age of five.
More than five million children under the age of five die each year. But many of these deaths could be prevented by vaccinations, trained health care workers, correct diagnosis, and affordable treatment.
Our innovative partnership combines Save the Children’s vast experience in maternal, newborn, and child health in communities around the world and GSK’s research and expertise to help reduce preventable deaths and illness in young children.
Our partnership has helped more than 3.5 million children in 46 countries, including our biggest programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Yemen.
Together, we are helping to save children’s lives by:
- Supporting health services to improve the health, wellbeing and survival of children and families
- Helping communities protect and promote their health
- Responding to emergencies
Since 2013, together, Save the Children and GSK have achieved incredible things. We have reached over 3.5 million children across 46 countries, including immunizing 240,000 children under five against preventable child diseases, treating over 807,000 children for malaria, pneumonia or diarrhea, training 38,000 health workers and supporting 21,000 community health workers.
Employee Engagement
GSK employees have always been at the heart of our partnership. The global GSK employee workforce of over 90,000 are encouraged to support the partnership through award-winning Orange United fundraising campaigns, as well as by contributing their time and expertise through GSK’s skill-based volunteer engagements. Employees in over 70 countries have raised millions for Save the Children’s work globally.