| Administrative History | Allocations 1955, 1964-1983. See later annual reports for subsequent allocations.
Save the Children Fund (SCF) made a small grant of £251 to Algeria in 1954/1955. In December 1962, after Algeria declared independence from France, the Algerian government agreed that SCF should set up a model infant medical and welfare centre at Orleansville. The work, including a training programme for child welfare workers, began in 1963.
From its base at Orleansville, SCF expanded its work to Teniet-el-Haad, a town which was home to many displaced families (some of whom were re-housed in prefabricated buildings built with a grant from Oxfam). SCF established a training centre teaching sewing and carpet making, and supported the 'Maison Familiale' where young people were given basic education and training in practical domestic crafts. Assistance was also given to children's homes and orphanages in and around Orleansville and Teniet-el-Haad. In 1963, SCF took over one of the 'kangaroo homes' (small units for homeless children) in Algiers.
In 1965 the SCF team moved from Orleansville to Messaad. At the invitation of the Algerian government, SCF ran a mother-child health clinic which operated alongside a clinic for adults run by the Catholic Relief Service (CRS). When CRS withdrew in autumn 1965, the medical team serving the adult population was funded by an annual grant from Oxfam, Christian Aid, and War on Want, with SCF taking on recruitment and administration. SCF's work in Messaad included a mobile clinic serving the outlying districts, supplementary feeding for children with tuberculosis (TB), a programme of vaccination and immunisation, and ante-natal clinics. The SCF administrator was able to advise on the setting up of a local agricultural cooperative, local girls were recruited to the previously male-only staff, and in 1969 a playgroup was added. In 1973 SCF provided emergency relief for flood victims. In June 1974 a tuberculosis of the spine [TB] and polio rehabilitation project was launched at Douera.
SCF work at Messaad came to an end in June 1975, when the project was handed over to Algerian management. The Douera project was handed over in March 1979. In 1980 relief was provided for victims of an earthquake at El Asnam, including the rebuilding of a school.
Algerian refugees in Morocco: allocations 1960-1963. In 1959 SCF provided aid to the Algerian refugees in Morocco; the money came from Oxfam. Aid to refugees in Morocco and Tunisia continued for some years. |