Save the Children Federation, Inc., commonly known as Save the Children USA, is a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of children in the United States and around the world. Their headquarters is located in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States.Save the Children USA was formed in 1932 to help children in the Appalachian mountains during the Great Depression, and modeled on the Save the Children Fund which had been established in Britain in 1919.Save the Children USA is part of the global Save the Children movement, with operations in over 120 countries around the world. Save the Children received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator between 2001 and 2014, a 3-star rating between 2015 and 2017, and a 4-star rating in 2018 and 2019.
CONTEXT: Intensive cereal production systems face the dual challenge of increasing food production while reducing environmental impacts, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with nitrogen fertilizer use. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a critical lever linking crop productivity, input-use-efficiency, soil health, and climate mitigation. However, wide heterogeneity in farming practices across smallholder systems complicates the effectiveness of uniform nutrient management recommendations. Understanding how different farming typologies shape the nexus between NUE, crop yield, and GHG emissions is essential for advancing sustainable intensification in agriculture. OBJECTIVE: The study evaluates the interlinkages between nitrogen use efficiency, crop productivity, and GHG emissions across diverse farming typologies for paddy, wheat, and maize, and identifies typology-specific pathways and policy-relevant strategies that can simultaneously improve yields, enhance NUE, and reduce GHG emissions. METHODS: The analysis uses cost of cultivation data from over 16,000 farm households across India. Farmers were classified into distinct farming typologies using a weighted K-Modes clustering approach based on water management, tillage practices, residue management, crop varieties, and fertilizer use. GHG emissions were estimated using the CCAFS Mitigation Options Tool. The relationships between NUE, crop yield, and emissions were examined across typologies to identify dominant production pathways and performance trade-offs. RESULTSAND CONCLUSIONS: Results show that a substantial proportion of farmers operate outside the optimal NUE "safe operating zone" (i.e. 50-90% NUE) across all three cereals. Between 33% and 49% of farmers fall into low-NUE/low-yield conditions, indicating systemic inefficiencies rather than isolated management failures. Two dominant unsustainable pathways emerge: nitrogen-surplus systems that achieve moderate to high yields but exhibit low NUE and high emission intensity, and soil-mining systems characterized by very high NUE but inadequate nitrogen inputs, low yields, and long-term risks to soil fertility. In contrast, balanced management typologies, featuring improved varieties, residue incorporation, conservation tillage, and efficient water man-agement, achieve competitive yields with lower emissions. These findings demonstrate that pursuing yield or NUE in isolation is counterproductive and that balanced, site-specific nutrient management is essential for sustainable outcomes. SIGNIFICANCE: The study highlights the decisive role of farming typologies in shaping the NUE-Yield-GHG nexus and demonstrates the limitations of one-size-fits-all nutrient recommendations. The typology framework pro-vides a practical and scalable tool for identifying "win-win" systems and high-risk pathways, enabling targeted, site-specific interventions to maximize synergies and minimize trade-offs. Policy implications include the need for nutrient rationalization in surplus systems, moderate intensification and soil restoration in soil-mining systems, and enabling institutional support such as soil testing, extension services, and appropriate subsidy structures. By guiding transitions toward balanced management typologies, this approach supports sustainable intensification, climate mitigation, and food security objectives in India and offers relevance for smallholder cereal systems globally.
Maternal health outcomes remain a pressing concern in fragile and conflict-affected settings such as Somalia, where financial and sociocultural barriers exacerbate disparities in access to essential health services. The SAGAL Social Transfers to Vulnerable Somali People project was implemented to address these barriers through cash-based social transfers and integrated community mobilization efforts. This study assesses trends in antenatal care (ANC) and skilled birth attendance (SBA) following the implementation of the SAGAL livelihood project in three hospitals in the Galmudug state of Somalia. Using a retrospective longitudinal approach, the study explores associations between the intervention and service utilization without employing a formal impact evaluation design. This retrospective longitudinal study analyzed health service utilization data of 6,582 pregnant and lactating women who accessed ANC or SBA services at three health facilities (Adado, Herale, and Hurshe) between September 2021 and October 2023. Data were extracted from facility registers, monthly reports, and the DHIS2 system. Descriptive statistics and trend analyses were used to evaluate changes in service uptake before and after the intervention. In the urban areas ANC utilization has increased considerably from 28
Uganda adopted maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) in 2017 and has put concerted effort into scaling up and using data on MPDSR to avert preventable deaths. However, formal analysis of MPDSR implementation processes among health facilities in Uganda has been limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the implementation of MPDSR processes in referral hospitals in Uganda, using a tested measurement approach. From November to December 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess MPDSR implementation processes in Uganda’s referral hospitals. The tool, adapted from previous studies, uses a 30-point scoring guide to measure progress markers across six stages of implementation. Data collectors visited 15 regional and national referral hospitals and conducted interviews with two members of the MPDSR committee per facility. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize scores by construct and total scores for the facilities. A content analysis from open-ended questions provided contextual insights. The average score for MPDSR implementation among referral hospitals in the study was 20.2 out of 30 (range 16 – 27) possible points, which falls in a category showing evidence of routine practice and integration. Progress markers which had particularly low scores included: written staff agreements about MPDSR and orientation of new staff to death reviews. No hospital reported having a budget to support death review meetings. Almost all committee members listed specific ways that MPDSR led to positive changes in quality of care. The overall score of 20.2 was somewhat higher when compared to other countries who have applied this measurement approach (in four countries, average 18.98). Only four of the surveyed hospitals demonstrated sustained practice of MPDSR, suggesting that there is still much work to be done to institutionalize MPDSR in Uganda’s referral hospitals. Specific action areas can be pinpointed using the findings on progress markers. The scored MPDSR implementation assessment tool was easy to use and well accepted. We recommend annually updating the tool to reflect new directions and developments in MPDSR implementation, and routine use to self- or externally assess hospitals’ implementation of MPDSR.
