Eglantyne is one of the most influential women of the 20th century, yet one of the least known. I felt compelled to share Eglantyne's inspiring story by creating a piece of theatre. Eglantyne was brave, visionary and unconventional. Sadly, many of Eglantyne's humanitarian concerns are extremely relevant today - thinking of the devastation of Syria, war in Yemen, famines.
On 18 June the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Save the Children were pleased to host a special performance of Eglantyne, the solo play about Eglantyne Jebb, the courageous, passionate, and visionary social reformer, human rights pioneer, and founder of Save the Children, created under the patronage of the ICRC.
The performance was preceded by opening remarks from Ömer Güven, CEO, Save the Children Switzerland and Mary Werntz, Deputy Director of Operations, ICRC, and was followed by an open Q&A session with the performer
About Eglantyne Jebb
The Save the Children Fund International Union was formally inaugurated in Geneva in 1920, in the same hall in which the Red Cross had been founded some fifty years earlier. Eglantyne Jebb saw a strong parallel between the work of the Red Cross caring for wounded soldiers, and that of Save the Children providing humanitarian aid for children. She invited Gustave Ador, President of the ICRC to the board of the Save the Children International Union.
The solo play about the story of Eglantyne Jebb is an opportunity to remind us of our history and our work in the humanitarian field, both past and future. In 1923 Eglantyne Jebb would draft the document that would go on become the Declaration of the Rights of the Child also know as the Declaration of Geneva. Having recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on education, Save the Children and the ICRC are looking at ways in which they can provide complementary interventions to support access to education in humanitarian crises.
For more information: info@savethechildren.ch or webmaster@icrc.org