Change children’s lives for good this Christmas
On Thursday 11 December you’ll be joining millions of people in the UK and beyond as they make the world better in a sweater.
But what does that actually mean?
It means you’ll be making a lasting difference to children’s lives – whether that’s investing in the education of refugees who have missed school, helping girls get their confidence back after being bullied, or giving kids in deprived areas of the UK a life-changing summer experience.
*We've changed Marko and Shehab's names to keep them safe.
Marko: a home from home
Marko, eight, attending a language class that will help him achieve his dream: "In the future, I want to be a captain, and English will help me get there."
Photo: Oksana Parafeniuk / Save the Children
If you suddenly had to leave home – and didn’t know if you’d ever come back – what would you take with you? When eight-year-old Marko had to flee the war in Ukraine he took his three favourite toy cars, including his prized Batmobile.
The cars remind him of a home he might never see again. He misses his friends and his passion: karate.
But at Save the Children’s refugee centre in Bucharest – aka the Hub – Marko’s starting to make a new home for himself and learning new skills. He gets help catching up with his lost education and takes language classes and art lessons.
“The Save the Children Hub is excellent,” says Marko’s mum Yana. “It teaches kids and helps them make friends.”
Save the Children also gave Marko a tablet for his online studies and vouchers to help them settle into their new home. “The vouchers were for both food and clothes," says Yana. "This was a very significant help.”
Even though he’s been through so much, Marko still has high hopes for his future. "I want to be a captain because I would like to travel all over the world," he declares.
So when you pull on a silly sweater this Christmas Jumper Day, remember you’re doing it for kids like Marko.
Shehab: strength and sisterhood
Shehab reading with one of her new friends at our Girl's Empowerment Centre. Now that she's back in school she has big ambitions. She wants to become a lawyer: "So, that I can defend vulnerable people... and protect their rights."
Photo: Kate Stanworth / Save the Children
With Save the Children in her corner, 16-year-old Syrian refugee Shehab has fought her way to a whole new life.
Born with a disability, she was bullied so badly that she dropped out of school. It hit her confidence badly, and she was in a dark place.
When she found out about our Adolescent Girls Empowerment Centre, she decided to see if it could help. “I wanted to change myself.”
The centre is a loud and joyful place, full of girls doing activities, playing games and hanging out. At first, Shehab had planned to try to blend into the background to avoid more bullying, but slowly she started to trust that the people there were different.
It wasn’t just that she had a mentor to help her settle in, the other girls made an effort to reach out to her and make her feel included.
She learned new skills like boxing and met new friends, helping her grow in confidence.
Because of the support and sisterhood she found at the centre, she’s back at school – and she’s even started reaching out to other children who are being bullied. “When I came here, my personality got strengthened and I became able to defend those like me.”
Helping amazing kids like Shehab is what Christmas Jumper Day is all about.
Sheffield: Summer of Play
Leni, posing with the clay model she made at our Sheffield Summer of Play trip in 2024. We believe every child should have the opportunity to play during the summer months, so they can start the school year equipped and ready to learn.
Photo credits (banner and above): Joshua Atkins / Save the Children
Summer holidays are a time for freedom, getting out and having adventures with your friends that you'll remember for the rest of your life.
But not everyone has access to green spaces, and when families are struggling to even put food on the table, there’s no money left over for activities and adventures.
That’s why our Summer of Play programme is so important. Working with local community partners, we run events that give children an opportunity to have fun, make friends - and an answer to the often-dreaded back to school question: "What did you do over the holidays?"
One of our summer events last year saw more than 30 kids from deprived neighbourhoods in Sheffield spend three days playing, exploring and singing together. They took part in activities like archery, yoga and climbing, and when night fell, they camped together beneath the stars. They built friendships and created wonderful memories. With the support of our staff, they had a life-changing experience their families would not have been able to afford.
The children were all part of our Sheffield Early Learning Community. At the heart of this programme is a nursery where we make sure kids growing up in poverty get the best possible start – so they have every chance of doing well at school and in later life.
This is just one of the ways you’re changing lives here in the UK on Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day.
Get in touch
Got questions about your fundraising page or team text code? Email [email protected]. Got questions about Christmas Jumper Day? Email [email protected] or call 0207 012 6400.
