Founded | 1938 |
---|---|
Founder | J. Calvitt Clarke |
Type | Charitable organization |
Focus | Children |
Location |
|
Area served
|
United States, South America, Africa, Asia |
Slogan | Dedicated to helping children in need |
Formerly called
|
ChildFund Alliance (2002-) ChildFund International (USA, 2009-) Christian Children's Fund (1951–2009) China's Children Fund (1938–1951) |
ChildFund, formerly known as Christian Children's Fund, is a child development organization based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It provides assistance to deprived, excluded and vulnerable children in 30 countries, including the United States.
ChildFund provides services to children, mostly funded by individual contributors in the form of monthly child sponsorships. In addition, ChildFund says it receives grants and donations that support vocational training, literacy training, food distribution, educational programs, early childhood development, health and immunization programs, nutritional programs, water and sanitation development, and emergency relief in both man-made and natural disasters.
The organization is known for its TV commercials on major networks in the United States. The commercials include photographs and videos of impoverished children in developing countries, and often feature actor Alan Sader. A previous long-running series of advertisements had featured actress Sally Struthers as spokeswoman, who around the same time also did commercials for International Correspondence Schools. It was also known for its Christmas commercials that featured the song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".
ChildFund was founded on October 6, 1938, as China's Children Fund by Presbyterian minister J. Calvitt Clarke to aid Chinese children displaced by the Second Sino-Japanese War. As the mission expanded to other countries, the name was changed on February 6, 1951 to Christian Children's Fund.
In June 2002, Christian Children's Fund and 11 other international child sponsorship organizations founded a worldwide network, ChildFund Alliance. The ChildFund Alliance comprises twelve organizations that partner to improve the lives of children and their families in 55 countries. Alliance members meet organizational standards of governance, fundraising and fiscal responsibility. The partnership fosters opportunities for pooled resources and collaborative activities to reach more children in need. The ChildFund Alliance includes the following members: