What children in Mozambique are facing
In the north, the province of Cabo Delgado has been gripped by brutal armed conflict since 2017. Armed groups have attacked communities, burned schools and destroyed civilian infrastructure, causing around 500,000 children and adults to flee their homes. Children have lost loved ones, been separated from their families and faced recruitment into armed groups. In 2025, the conflict spread to Nampula province, widening the crisis further.
In the south, 2026 brought the worst flooding in decades. Torrential rainfall from late December 2025 triggered severe, widespread flooding across southern and central Mozambique. When Tropical Cyclone Gezani struck in mid-February 2026, bringing winds of up to 215 km/h, the devastation deepened. More than 720,000 people were affected - over half of them children. Homes, roads, health facilities and schools were destroyed. By February 2026, more than 230,000 children had been cut off from education, with more than 430 schools affected and over 840 classrooms completely destroyed.
For families already living in poverty, the flooding pushes them further into crisis - making it impossible to afford school, increasing the risk of permanent dropout, child labour and child marriage.
What we're doing
Save the Children has worked in Mozambique since 1986. We work in partnership with local organisations and authorities across Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Manica, Maputo, Niassa, Nampula, Tete and Zambezia provinces.
Keeping children learning
In communities affected by conflict in Cabo Delgado, our case workers identify children who have dropped out of school, provide mental health and psychosocial support, and help them re-enrol - often by providing schoolbooks and resolving issues with identity documents. In the south, we established Temporary Learning Spaces in evacuation centres so children could continue studying during the flooding emergency, and provided back-to-school kits - containing pencils, books and erasers - to children who lost their belongings.
Child protection
We work with local organisation Progresso in Cabo Delgado to identify children at risk and provide coordinated support to families, linking them to mental health services and helping them navigate protection concerns.
Creating safe spaces
Our Child Friendly Spaces give children the chance to play, connect with peers and process experiences of loss and displacement. These spaces also help prevent protection risks, including early marriage and recruitment into armed groups.
Emergency response
During the 2026 flooding, Save the Children used boats to relocate families stranded in inaccessible areas. We distributed cash assistance, set up temporary accommodation and ran education activities in 20 schools across Gaza province.
Stories of change
Ancha* (13) and Save the Children Case Worker Sofi* play building blocks together
Ancha*, 13, lives in Cabo Delgado. After her family was forced to flee their home in 2020, she dropped out of school and withdrew from the world around her. Everything changed when Ancha met Sofi*, a Save the Children Case Worker. Sofi started visiting Ancha, took her to a Child Friendly Space and helped her re-enrol. "The first day I went to school, I was very happy," Ancha says. Her aunt Charifa* adds: "What makes me happy is to see her go to school. My heart is at peace."
In southern Mozambique, 8-year-old Alina* and her family were displaced by the January 2026 floods. She attended a Save the Children Temporary Learning Space in her evacuation centre and received a back-to-school kit when she returned home. "I missed my friends and learning," she says. Now back at home and school, Alina says she loves studying and playing with her baby sister Dorca*.
Names marked with * have been changed to protect identities.
Our team is focused on supporting the most vulnerable children and families in displaced and host communities.
We have provided life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to affected communities and families, and reached more than 148,000 people, including over 86,000 children, through programmes for protection, sanitation, health and food security.
With your support, we helped children in Mozambique to survive and recover from two devastating cyclones - find out more about our cyclones response .
