Eglantyne Jebb (25 August 1876 – 17 December 1928) was a British social reformer. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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Early Life
She was born in 1876 in Ellesmere, Shropshire, and grew up on her family's estate. Ellesmere is a small Market town near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its proximity to a number of prominent lakes The Jebbs, apart from being a well-off family, also had a strong social conscience and commitment to public service; her mother, Eglantyne Louisa Jebb, had founded the Home Arts and Industries Association, to promote Arts and Crafts among young people in rural areas, her sister Louisa would help found the Women's Land Army in World War I, and her sister Dorothy Frances Jebb, who married the Labour Party MP Charles Roden Buxton, campaigned against the demonisation of the German people after the war. Eglantyne Louisa Jebb (1845-1925 was a social reformer Born in Killiney, Ireland, she married her cousin Arthur Trevor Jebb (1839-1894 a Barrister The Home Arts and Industries Association was an organisation that functioned as a precursor to the Art Workers Guild in the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Charles Roden Buxton ( 27 November 1875 &ndash 16 December 1942) was an English philanthropist and politician
Social Activism
Having studied history at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Eglantyne trained to become a primary school teacher, but a year's experience in a primary school in Marlborough convinced her that this was not her vocation. Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens She moved to Cambridge to look after her sick mother. The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England There she became involved in the Charity Organisation Society, which aimed to bring a modern scientific approach to charity work. The Charity Organization Societies also called the Associated Charities was a private charity that existed in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a clearing house for information This led her to carry out an extensive research project into conditions in the city, and in 1906 she published a book, Cambridge, a Study in Social Questions based on her research. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting
Not much came of this work, and for several years she lived quietly, until in 1913 she was asked to undertake a journey to Macedonia on behalf of the Macedonian Relief Fund. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Macedonia is a Geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe whose area was re-defined in the early 20th century She returned shortly before the First World War broke out, and soon was drawn into a project organised by Dorothy, who had begun importing European newspapers – including ones from Germany and Austria-Hungary for which a special licence had to be obtained from the government – and publishing extracts in English in the Cambridge Magazine, which revealed that everyday life in the enemy countries was far worse than government propaganda suggested. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
As the war was coming to an end, and the German and Austro-Hungarian economies came near to collapse, it was clear to Dorothy and Eglantyne that the children of these countries were suffering appallingly from the effects of the war and the Allied blockade, which continued even when an armistice was signed. A pressure group, the Fight the Famine Council, was set up in 1919 to persuade the British government to end the blockade.
Save the Children
Soon, however, the focus shifted to organising relief. On 15 April 1919, the Council set up a fund to raise money for the German and Austrian children – the Save the Children Fund. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Unexpectedly, this organisation, launched at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 19 May 1919, quickly raised a large sum of money from the British public, and officials were despatched to organise relief work. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
The success of the Fund led Eglantyne and Dorothy to attempt to set up an international movement for children. The International Save the Children Union (Union International de Secours a l'Enfant) was founded in Geneva in 1920, with the British Save the Children Fund and the Swedish Rädda Barnen as leading members. The International Save the Children Union (L’Union Internationale de Secours aux Enfants was a Geneva -based international organisation of children's welfare organisations Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Save the Children is a leading international organisation helping children in need around the world Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden is the name of the Swedish section of the International Save the Children Alliance.
In London, it was now Eglantyne who was in charge, and she ensured that the Fund adopted the professional approach she had learnt in the Charity Organisation Society. A manager, Lewis Golden, was recruited to put the organisation on a businesslike foundation. He adopted the innovative – and controversial – approach of taking full-page advertisements in national newspapers; it was highly effective, and raised very substantial amounts of income for the Fund's work.
As the problems in central Europe receded, there was a new focus of the Fund's attention – a refugee crisis in Greece and the surrounding areas, a consequence of the continuing conflict in the area. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Then in 1921, just as this situation was coming under control, there was a new and bigger emergency. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Partly as a consequence of the devastation of war, revolution and civil war, and partly due to the disastrous economic policies of the Bolshevik government, the people of Soviet Russia faced a famine as crops failed. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Russian famine of 1921, better known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year and lasted through 1922, was a severe Famine A new fundraising effort brought a surge of donations, and a Save the Children team was dispatched to the city of Saratov, one of the main famine centres. History The Legend of Saratov Gelonus, a legendary Scythian city and the northernmost Greek colony may be conjectured to have been situated in the locality
Declaration of the Rights of the Child
In all the work the Fund did, a major element in Eglantyne's thinking was the importance of a planned, research-based approach. In 1923, when the Russian relief effort was coming to an end, and the Fund's income was sharply reducing, she turned to another issue – that of children's rights. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. She headed to Geneva, to a meeting of the International Union, with a plan for a Children's Charter. The result was a short and clear document – drafted by Eglantyne – which asserted the rights of children and the duty of the international community to put children's rights in the forefront of planning. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, or the Declaration of Geneva as it came to be known, was adopted a year later by the League of Nations. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is the name given to a series of related Children's rights proclamations The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920
With peace returning to Europe, and relief efforts in decline, the focus of the Save the Children movement shifted to promoting the Declaration. In 1925, the first International Child Welfare congress was held in Geneva. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Declaration was widely discussed and supported by organisations and governments. An expanded version would be adopted by the United Nations in 1959, and it was one of the main inspirations behind the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as CRC or UNCRC, is an international convention setting out the civil political
For many years, Eglantyne had been suffering from ill-health and in 1928, following three operations for goitre, she died in a nursing home in Geneva, and is buried there in St George's cemetery. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. She is remembered today as the inspirational founder of the Save the Children organisation, which for almost 90 years has been innovative not just in marketing methods, but also in its internationalist, non-sectarian and professional approach.
References
- Brian Harrison, "Jebb, Eglantyne (1876–1928)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 6 Jan 2007
- Francesca Wilson - Rebel Daughter of a Country House (London 1967)
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