Shocking numbers of children are dying from illnesses that are entirely preventable, most of them in the first years of life. Every year, 5 million children under the age of five die from preventable causes. Marginalised children are the most vulnerable as they lack access to quality healthcare, such as vaccines, medicines, or nutrients – all of which save lives. This is especially true in conflict and emergencies, or in poor and deprived areas, where the challenge of keeping children alive is heightened. Girls and women often lack access to care or information during pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. They can also struggle to access health services or be denied an education that would protect them from unwanted pregnancies.
We directly reached over 33 million children through our life-changing health and nutrition work in 2022. Six-month-old Exodus* is one of those children. Baby Exodus and his mother, Stella, arrived at Bidi Bidi camp in Uganda after fleeing their home in South Sudan due to conflict, which killed Stella's husband. When they arrived at the camp, Exodus was very ill. He was brought to our emergency health team and was diagnosed with malaria. We provided him with immediate treatment and gave him routine childhood vaccinations to protect him from other illnesses. Today Exodus is healthy and his mother is hopeful for the future.
In times of crisis, when children are at their most vulnerable, Save the Children is there. We are always among the first organisations to deliver life-saving support for children and their families. We partner with local organisations wherever possible to ensure our responses are locally driven, allowing us to build trust and gain access to hard to reach communities. To strengthen our collective capacity to handle emergencies, our Humanitarian Curriculum provides quality-assured humanitarian learning for everyone. We stand side by side with children in the world's toughest places. Learn more about some of our emergency responses below.
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