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Kiki, 7: “I like singing and dancing and playing funny games!”

In tough times, friends pull together. That’s what’s happening where Kiki lives, in Ashton, which is near Manchester. 

For lots of families here it’s getting so hard to afford enough food each week. That’s why Save the Children has made one big team with other great charities to run the Food Pantry in Kiki’s local park. There, families can pick £15 worth of healthy food for just £3. 

It makes a world of difference to families. And with healthy mealtimes taken care of, Kiki can get on with the important business of learning, playing, and just being a fun kid. 

“I like singing and dancing and playing funny games,” she says. “We were playing floor is lava yesterday morning... if you touch the floor, you're dead!" 

Making sure kids like Kiki can just focus on having a good time is why we need to keep amazing places like this Food Pantry running. And that is why Christmas Jumper Day is so important, people! 

Viktoriya*, 9, Kyiv: “The way we play feels like love.”

It’s been a really scary year for kids in Ukraine. Earlier this year Viktoriya, who’s just 9 years old, was injured by a bomb. Many of her friends had to leave their homes because it wasn’t safe to stay.

To help kids in Ukraine, Save the Children joined forces with a team called Your Way. Together they make spaces where kids can talk through their problems and get help from grown-ups. 

And that’s where Viktoriya met Parker! Parker’s not just any Golden Retriever – he’s what they call a ‘Therapy Dog’, and he’s amazing.  

Parker can sense when Viktoriya’s stressed. He helps make her feel more calm and patient. And – this is really important – he helps her feel in the moment, like every 9-year-old should.

“The way we play feels like love from Parker,” says Viktoriya. And we need as much of that as we can get, right? 

Junior*, 16, Solomon Islands: “I am happy today."

Junior is like any funny, confident teenager. He loves football and making his brothers and sisters giggle. 

But there’s way too much on Junior’s shoulders for a kid. “I usually feel sad and sometimes I feel sick because I have nothing to eat, because the rising sea level has damaged our food,” says Junior. “I feel angry and sad.”  

Where he lives, in the Solomon Islands, the weather has got really bad. The sea gets scarily close to people’s houses and it’s ruining the food they need to grow up strong.    

Save the Children has formed a big team with other charities where Junior lives, to help older kids learn what kinds of food will keep growing, even in big storms, and how they can keep eating well as the weather gets worse.  

And Junior’s been his new skills straight to work! “After the training we planted taro, kumara, tomatoes, cabbage, and beans,” he says. 

It’s Save the Children’s job to make sure kids are well-fed and healthy. But they also lighten the load – so kids like Junior can just be confident, funny teenagers.  

“I am happy today during the training,” says Junior. And nothing’s more important than that, is it?