Our Work

We help every child get the chance of a future they deserve. Making sure children stay safe, healthy and learning - finding new ways to reach children who need us most, no matter where they're growing up. 

For over a century, we've stood up for children's rights and made sure their voices are heard. With children, for children, we change the future for good.

In 2021 our movement reached 26.5 million children through our health and nutrition programming, 12.2 million children through our education programmes and 4.1 million through our child protection programmes. 

You can find out about what we do here.

We reach millions of children in over 100 countries across every continent, including the UK. Just a few examples of where we work are:

• In Ukraine we’re supporting unregistered and unaccompanied children through rapid registration and family tracing, to help prevent separation.
• In Yemen we’re supporting 88 health facilities and 23 hospitals to provide life-saving treatment for malnourished.
• In Ethiopia we’re raising awareness of the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) and training health workers to help affected girls.
• In Peru we've helped get thousands of children with disabilities into school.

You can find out more about where we work here.  

All across the UK, we work to narrow the gap between children in poverty & better-off classmates.

We're uniting families and schools, ensuring the poorest children get help, building positive home environments and campaigning for children's futures.

Our emergency grants programme has reached thousands of homes, delivering early learning packs, supermarket vouchers and household essentials to the most vulnerable families.

We've campaigned for social security support, called for governmental help for families through a difficult winter and worked with Marcus Rashford's team to help hungry children in lockdown.

You can find out more about our UK work here.  

In 2021, the Save the Children global movement reached 43 million children across 118 countries, including here in the UK.

• We helped 26.5 million children survive through our movement's health and nutrition work.
• We supported 12.2 million children to learn through our movement's education programmes.
• We fought relentlessly to protect 4.1 million children through our movement's protection programmes and spoke up for millions more around the world

You can read through several of our impact stories here.

In 2021, our total expenditure was £236 million. £203 million (86%) was spent on charitable activities, with the remainder spent on support costs and fundraising activities.

Full details can be found in our 2021 Annual Report.

When children are fighting to survive and rebuild their lives, we act quickly. Our Emergency Fund allows us to respond wherever and whenever we're needed most. It allows us to respond within hours of a disaster, so we can reach children immediately and help them survive.

Find out more about emergency responses here.

You can read our emergency FAQs.

We work alongside kids, supporters and partners, including companies, celebrities, trusts and institutions to build a better world. The more we come together, the more change is possible for children.

You can find out more here.

Save the Children has a unique role to support children to hold governments to account on the commitments made, while urging governments to act in children’s best interests.

We’re responding to the impact of the crisis through our programmes by: 

• Providing water to communities battling drought
• Assisting with cash transfers for families whose livelihoods and homes have been hit
• Setting up early warning systems to predict when crisis might hit 

But the scale of the threat means more work must be done. As the biggest threat to children’s lives and futures, we’re committed to doing all we can to tackle the climate crisis.

You can find out more on how we are responding to the climate crisis here.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a legally-binding international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities. 

You can read the convention along with reading a child friendly version here. 

Even today, 1 in 4 children don't get the nutritious food they need to explore a world of possibility.

We’re helping families beat malnutrition with medical treatment, cash vouchers and advice on treatment and supporting communities to grow their own food and pushing world leaders to fund nutrition plans. 

In 2021, our movement's child health and nutrition programmes reached 26.5 million children.

For example, in Niger we’re tackling malnutrition in pregnant women & under 2s, focusing on breastfeeding and complementary feeding support. We're also teaching improved farming techniques; empowering women and girls to earn and save.

You can read more about our work here.

More children are surviving their early years than ever before. Yet our job is far from done - more than five million under-fives still die each year.

We’re helping communities strengthen their healthcare systems, whilst vaccinating millions of children every year and calling on world leaders to make universal healthcare a reality. 

In 2021, our movement's child health and nutrition programmes reached 26.5 million children.

For example, in South Sudan we’re Offering vital healthcare to a 270k population at Nimule Hospital. With 10 trained midwives, it's one of South Sudan’s leading maternal care facilities, delivering six babies a day.

You can find out more here.

Globally, one child in five lives in extreme poverty. 

The poorest children are most at risk of disease, malnutrition and stunting. They’re more likely to miss school or get a poor education. And there’s a greater chance they’ll suffer early marriage, violence or child labour.

For example, in Bangladesh we’re tackling stunting by changing the way nutrition services work and helping develop sustainable livelihoods. We’re also supporting mothers and young children in 191,000 households.

In Lebanon we’re providing cash assistance with five other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help the most vulnerable Syrian refugees afford food and essentials. Monthly payments will reach around 154,000 people.

Our movement's child poverty programmes reached 4.1 million children in 2021.

You can read more about our work here.

Millions of children never see inside a classroom. Others drop out due to overcrowding, conflict, or simply because they're a girl. Here in the UK, the poorest children do less well than wealthier classmates - and low literacy is linked to low pay and unemployment.

In 2021, our child education programmes reached 12.2 million children.

For example, in Rwanda we’re increasing the number of quality children’s books, starting reading clubs & supporting parents and teachers.

We’re giving thousands of girls the support they need to stay in education in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique and the DRC.

You can read more about our work more here.

Whether a child is on the streets, moving across borders, in a refugee camp or an institution, at risk of child marriage, dangerous work or being recruited as a child soldier - we're there.

Our movement's protection programmes help children who are in conflict, being exploited or neglected; 4.1m were reached in 2021.

For example, in Ethiopia we’re raising awareness of the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) and training health workers to help affected girls.

In Indonesia we’re reconnecting families as over 500,000 children are in orphanages, yet 90% have at least one parent living.

You can find out more here.

For a century, we've stood up for children and ensured their voices are heard. We wrote the treaty that sets out their rights, and we've upheld them every day since. 

We're calling on all governments to recommit to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

In Syria, Jordan and Lebanon we’re educating families about children's reproductive rights.

You can find out more here.