The challenges in the world today
are quite frankly too big
for any one of us or even any one organisation
to face alone.
Working in partnership with organisations,
like Save the Children, represents one
of the most important things that we as BCG do,
unlocking the potential of those who advance the world.
We live in a world where progress
for children has stalled.
Some of our most pressing issues
are the fact that millions of children still live
in conflict areas.
Six out of ten school-aged children are out of school.
And in a day, more than 2,500 children die
from preventable and treatable diseases,
like childhood pneumonia.
Our focuses are on these children
to make sure no one is left behind.
We need to make sure
that we are in a position to drive change for children.
BCG has proven itself to be a very important partner
to Save the Children over the years.
One of the things I really appreciate in the partnership
is the fact that BCG continues
to challenge us and to push us to be our best.
We're proud to be bringing many aspects of BCG
to supporting Save the Children
in advancing their mission.
Bringing insight and impact
through strategy, digital, organisational,
operational and programmatic work,
as well as participating on Save the Children boards
around the world and sending our consultants
in house as secondees.
In 2010, the Haiti earthquake killed 250,000 people
and devastated the capital of the country.
Save the Children mounted one
of the largest humanitarian responses
that we had ever attempted to endeavour
and BCG was there to help us along the way.
BCG provided a senior leader
to be part of the humanitarian response
and serve as project leader.
In addition, we received support from BCG
on improving our supply chain and logistics function.
After the earthquake, we had a lot
of lessons learned from that experience
and BCG helped us compile the results
and transform those learnings
into a toolbox of methodologies
that we use for emergency preparedness and response.
In addition, BCG was extremely helpful
in helping us develop the methods
for fundraising for emergencies.
This work helped us reach our emergency fundraising target
of 500 million in 2014.
It's critical for Save the Children
to be an effective organisation
and make the best use of our resources.
That's why we have also launched a significant programme
a few years ago called High-Performing Organisation
to reduce cost and complexity
and stress for our staff working in the field
on these programmes.
The Boston Consulting Group
has helped us tremendously
by adding their knowledge
and expertise coming from the private sector.
They also helped us in estimating
how much this transformation would take
and in a later stage, they helped us again
in bringing together the interdependencies
between these initiatives.
Recently, we asked the Boston Consulting Group back
to do a review on our organisational effectiveness again
and we identified $50 million
in terms of reinvestment opportunities,
which obviously, was a very successful outcome.
Right now, there are approximately
71 million people displaced by conflict in the world
and every single year that number substantially increases.
Over half of that 71 million are children
and I think it's fair to say
that they are amongst the most marginalised
and deprived children in the world.
So our role is to find innovative
and cost-effective solutions
to this extraordinary problem
that is one of the biggest challenges we have
in the world today.
The predictive displacement tool
that Save the Children developed in conjunction
and collaboration with BCG
was an innovative attempt
to harness the capacity of predictive analytics
in the space of displacement,
with the idea that if we were able
to predict the duration and scale
of a displacement crisis
at the beginning of the displacement,
we would be much better placed
to respond effectively to a range of problems.
By having a better idea of the scale
and duration of displacement from day one,
we can better anticipate the sustainable investments
and things like infrastructure,
education, protection the children
and their families need to bridge that critical divide
between short-term humanitarian emergency response
and longer-term sustainable development.
This also allows us
to better evidence base the proposals we give to donors.
Save the Children has also had the opportunity
to work with Boston Consulting Group's
Digital Ventures group
to brainstorm further ways
that technologies can be harnessed
to help children affected by migration displacement.
Working with BCG Digital Ventures
was a really unique and engaging experience
and involved a process of channelling creativity
and out-of-the-box thinking in coming up with new solutions.
Our joint team came up with nearly 800 innovative ideas.
One concept we developed, for instance,
is a platform for assisting teachers working with children
in conflict-affected areas.
Again, I think showing how going against the grain
can open up new avenues for our mission.
BCG has been working in partnership
with Save the Children for 15 years.
And much of the work that we've done
has been about looking to the future
and trying to help Save the Children anticipate
and respond to challenges ahead.
And we're seeing many trends, even today,
which will be shaping the future of this sector.
Changes in children's needs,
technology, climate change,
sustainability, donor behaviour.
These are just some of the factors
which are going to shape this sector into the future.
And the pace at which these changes
are occurring is increasing,
making it urgent to consider how the future
in which Save the Children will operate
might be disrupted.
Save the Children's mission is as important as ever.
As an organisation, I'm hugely proud
of our staff and all the hard work they are doing,
many of them under very difficult circumstances,
making sure we reach the most deprived
and marginalised children.
And I'm very, very happy that we have BCG
as one of our trusted partners along the way.
We're immensely proud to be partnering
with Save the Children and the meaningful work
that we've done together.
We look forward to continuing to partner
with Save the Children
and addressing some of the most pressing challenges
in our world today.