TO MARK its 40th year in the country, child rights group Save the Children Philippines launched a new campaign that aims to generate funds for programs that will help children learn, survive and be protected all the time.

The group encouraged individuals and organizations to take part in its I Pledge to Save the Children campaign to support various initiatives for children especially during the pandemic.

The group said that because of the pandemic, 2.7 million learners were not able to enroll in 2020, according to the Department of Education.

The health and nutrition of children were also compromised with the disruption of the operations of health centers and the inability of many families to meet their basic food requirements due to loss of income and livelihood.

“The rights of children must not be forgotten even as we face challenging times. With our four decades of experience working for and with children, we remain determined to deliver lifesaving programs that will meet their emerging needs,” Atty. Alberto Jesus Muyot, chief executive officer of Save the Children Philippines, said.

To make a pledge, donors can simply visit the Save the Children’s giving platform, select the program they wish to support, and set up their own fundraising pages.

The organization’s ambassadors Xia Vigor, Katarina Rodriguez, Ria Atayde and Liza Soberano are leading the campaign and have set up their own fundraising pages.

Vigor supports children’s continued education while Rodriguez’s fundraiser benefits the monitoring of young children’s nutritional status.

Atayde pledged to help keep children and families safe during the pandemic while Soberano aims to raise funds to provide children and their families the necessary support to adjust to the new normal.

“Being a supporter of the organization myself for the past years, I have seen how the collective action of donors can bring meaningful change in the lives of children. We are calling on everyone who can, to support our programs for children by either making a direct donation or setting up your own fundraising page,” Soberano said.

Other celebrity supporters of the organization include Andi Eigenmann, Pia Wurtzbach, Bianca Guidotti, Carla Lizardo, Adrian Lindayag, and journalist Angela Lagunzad.