Climate change could kill 250,000 children in 2010

More than 900 million children in the next generation will be affected by water shortages, and 160 million more children will be at risk of catching malaria — one of the biggest killers of children under the age of five —  as it spreads to new parts of the world.

Abdi, eight, who is suffering from severe malnutrition and malaria, sits in a courtyard outside the paediatric ward of the Wajir hospital in Kenya. He was used to a steady diet of milk, but since most cattle in his region have either died, stopped producing milk, or been moved due to the drought, Abdi has not been able to drink any milk — leading to an acute protein deficiency.

Vieng tries to comfort her son Truong, two, in front of what remains of their home, in Quang Tri province, Vietnam. It was destroyed by Cyclone Ketsana on 28 September. “I cried a lot seeing our house like that," said Vieng. "How are we going to build our house again? And how will we be able to feed our children?”

Hadis, 15, makes padlocks and keys for eleven hours a day in Dhaka, Bangladesh. When they lived in Barisol, in the south of the country, Hadis’ parents used to be very well off. He now works long hours in cramped conditions making jewellery, cosmetics and household items for a pittance. His family fled the region where they had lived for generations because their home and means of making a living had been destroyed by a number of natural disasters.

Halima Hassan stands with her daughter Khalida, two, and her son Albashir, three, in the village of Fincharo in north-east Kenya. Persistent drought and the loss of livestock are making it nearly impossible for Halima to feed her family. Albashir had to be treated for severe malnutrition after nearly dying from starvation.

Khanh, nine, sits looking out on the flooding where he lives in Quang Tri province, Vietnam. Cyclone Ketsana struck this part of Vietnam on 28 September, causing the worst flooding in decades and bringing winds of up to 150 mph.

An Ethiopian family wait for food in a Save the Children therapeutic feeding centre in Warakaye district, Meket Province. The rains have not fallen at the right time for the crops to grow well this year, weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable, and this has had a massive impact on food availability.

Band Aid star Midge Ure, a Save the Children Ambassador, has just returned to Ethiopia 25 years on from the 1984 famine. “Climate change is no longer a distant, futuristic scenario, but an immediate threat,” he said. “I’ve seen how vulnerable children are to the effects of climate change. Erratic rainfall means farmers have lost their crops. I asked one farmer what would happen if the food aid stopped coming. He replied: ‘It is in the hands of the gods.’ Maybe we could lend a hand as well.”