The UK faced a recent heatwave and is braced for more to come. As worrying as this is for us, the health implications for children on the frontline of the climate emergency are so much more dire and exacerbated by fragile health systems as well as the recent cuts to overseas development assistance. The UK government must go further and faster to protect children from the devastating impacts of heatwaves and other climate extremes, both at home and abroad.

The NHS, which was delivered during post-war economic decline, turns 77 this Saturday while essential healthcare remains out of reach for over half of the world's population. Millions of children bear the brunt of this inequality, dying from preventable conditions. Universal Health Coverage could change this and with the UK’s leadership in supporting global health, free healthcare for all children everywhere could become a reality.

This blog highlights the significant impact of vaccines on global health. It traces the history of vaccination from Edward Jenner's groundbreaking discovery using cowpox to prevent smallpox, to the eradication of smallpox and the reduction of diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria, and tetanus. It also discusses current challenges such as funding crises, misinformation, and vaccine hesitancy, while emphasising the importance of vaccines in preventing future pandemics.

African children need more than handouts: they need allies.

Why is mass lobbying so important - and how you can get involved

For 20 months, the world has looked on in horror at the atrocities inflicted on Palestinian children by Israeli forces, live-streamed on our TV channels and social media. But this is not an anomaly. It is an extreme example of a global trend of rising violence against children that is devastating their lives and futures.

At our child-friendly space in Zaatari camp, children are re-learning how to laugh, play and be themselves.

The conclusion of the UK’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) last week brought good and bad news. The bad news? It began to give us details of the previously announced cuts to overseas aid, with the budget falling from £9.3bn in 2024/25 to £6.19bn in 2027/28. That’s over £3bn less spent on protecting the world’s most vulnerable people.

This year’s World Refugee Day is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with refugees and their communities around the world. For the 14.8 million school-aged refugees around the world today, many of them have told us – they prioritise education.

High-quality, inclusive childcare is critical to reduce child poverty, increase parental employment rates and meet the government's ambitious Early Years target.

Our Annual Report 2024 was published today. 2024 was a year of extraordinary challenges, but also one of courage, collaboration and impact. Together with our partners, supporters, volunteers and staff, we delivered change that matters—now and for the future.

This blog highlights the urgent need to include child-specific protections in the upcoming Crimes Against Humanity treaty, emphasizing how children experience these crimes uniquely and severely. It reflects on key discussions and recommendations from a recent international conference, urging states to adopt amendments that ensure justice and protection for all children.

Reflecting on the achievements and learnings from Save the Children's Corporate Advisory Board.

The Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge uses an outcomes contract to reward achievement of results, rather than delivery of outcomes. This blog reflects on what we have learned from the first two years of programme evaluation, and what we aim to learn before the programme finishes in June 2025.

The Youth Shadow Panel is inviting children and young people across England to share their views and experience of school or college, to advocate for changes that can make the education system better for everyone.

A statement from our CEO, and summary findings and recommendations

The UK Government has allied itself to Israel’s atrocities. The horrors inflicted on children on and since 7th October 2023 have undermined our shared humanity.

Children are feared to be among over 1,000 people killed in weekend hostilities in Syria, which has also displaced thousands of people.

Dalgis Alandete is a tutor in one of our Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) helping to provide a safe space where children can play and feel supported. What are some of the problems that Venezuelan children are facing in Colombia? Venezuelan children don’t have homes to protect them from the rain and there have been reports of […]

Cutting the aid budget to increase defence is a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable children and the UK’s national interest.

Save the Children UK is to put 197 jobs at risk in a reorganisation aimed at increasing impact in the UK and around the world and strengthening its financial position.

Save the Children is asking the question – where is the missing Ukraine money? Have you seen it? Because we haven’t – and neither have the children of Ukraine.

Musician and Save the Children ambassador Sophie Ellis-Bextor has visited Warsaw in Poland to meet with refugee children.

KINSHASA, 12 February 2025 – At least 28 children were among 52 people killed in a violent attack in Djugu territory, Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a wave of extreme violence fuels an escalating humanitarian crisis across the country, said Save the Children.

AXA XL is providing a grant of $1.2 million to Save the Children for a five-year initiative to mitigate the impact of climate change across coastal ecosystems in Sierra

PORT SUDAN, 10 February 2025 – The last quarter of 2024 saw more violence in Sudan than at any time since the conflict began nearly two years ago, Save the Children said, with significant violent attacks against children and other civilians continuing into 2025.

Alarming trend continues into 2025, with at least 10 Palestinian children among 70 people killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

It is essential that this funding is additional to supplement a constrained aid budget and prioritises children on the frontline of these crises.

19th January 2025 - The Save the Children Immunisation Accelerator, funded by GSK, has awarded two innovation projects for finding unique solutions to help more children receive vaccinations.

GAZA, 18 January 2025 – Getting food, water, and medical supplies to children in Gaza will be priorities for Save the Children once the pause in hostilities comes into effect on Sunday, with preparations underway in coordination with other aid organisations to deliver supplies as quickly as possible once entry points are reopened and security guaranteed.

GAZA, 14 January 2025 – The use of explosive weapons in Gaza in 2024 condemned an average of 475 children each month – or 15 children a day [1]- to potentially lifelong disabilities, including severely injured limbs and hearing impairments, said Save the Children.

GAZA, FRIDAY 3 JANUARY 2025 – Israeli airstrikes have killed about 80 people in Gaza in the first few days of the new year [1], Save the Children said. Meanwhile, the UN reports that children are dying due to lack of protection from the cold winter temperatures while Israeli authorities block aid including tents, clothing and bedding from entering the Strip.

Children are scared to return home seven days after devastating earthquakes hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, making for a very different Christmas this year.

PORT SUDAN, 24 December 2024 – The lives of hundreds of thousands of children are hanging in the balance with new data showing famine has spread to additional areas of Sudan after 20 months of conflict and is likely to expand to five more in North Darfur by May 2025, Save the Children said.

Why the Early Years MatterOur early years of life are an unparalleled period of growth and discovery, where brain development accelerates at a remarkable rate. During early childhood, every interaction, experience, and playful moment contributes to lifelong learning and parents are their children’s first and most important educators. Supporting early learning and development is crucial; it shapes the foundation for emotional, social, and cognitive skills that carry us forward into adulthood.The Early Years team at Save the Children UK have been working hard to develop an Early Years Knowledge Bank. This is a set of free resources, designed to inform and inspire early years practice, research and advocacy. So far, the bank has offered key insights across three core themes: Young Children's Voices, the Importance of Early Years, and the Impact of COVID-19 on Young Children.The team are excited to announce that they are launching their fourth and final theme on Play. But why is play important? And how can we support all children in having the time, space and permission to play?

Meet Lenny, a dedicated marathon runner and fundraising champion for Save the Children. Since 2018, Lenny has raised over £11,000 to help children change their future for good. We’re excited to feature Lenny in our first Fundraiser Spotlight. Read on to hear Lenny’s inspiring story, top fundraising tips and marathon advice in his own words.

Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ: DLPN) proudly announces its latest scripted content project with the acquisition of rights to The Woman Who Saved the Children, an acclaimed biography by award-winning author Clare Mulley. The book, which chronicles the extraordinary life of humanitarian trailblazer and Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb, will be brought to life as a feature film under Dolphin’s production banner.

It's so hard when children get worried about things. All we want to do is help reassure them, but sometimes simple reassurance just doesn’t do the trick. When that anxiety is around going back to school, it’s even more tricky. We can’t just not let them go – and it's horrible to think of them feeling sad when we’re not there to support them.

Up to 650,000 children [1] and their families are in danger after Cyclone Chido tore through northern Mozambique, Save the Children has warned.

Save the Children is urging the nation to make the world better with a sweater tomorrow for the charity’s annual Christmas Jumper Day which returns for its 13th year.

The latest childcare report from IPPR (The Childcare Challenge: How can the government deliver a real childcare guarantee), commissioned by Save the Children UK, was published this week. It comes at a critical time as just last week the UK Government announced their aim for 75% of children to be ‘school ready’ by 2028, up from 68%.This target reflects a shift in focus for the UK Government from childcare to child development and has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of children in the UK. Good quality childcare is critical not just because it enables parents to access paid employment, but because it has the power to address inequalities children face before they enter school.Given the importance of childcare in families’ lives, it’s deeply concerning that the findings in this new report reveal that only one third of the poorest fifth of parents with young children use formal childcare, compared with two-thirds of those in the highest earning households. This is in part due to the lack of childcare places and the lower quality of childcare in more deprived areas as well as the exclusion of some families from the funded hours offer. The challenges facing the childcare sector could undermine the Government’s target around school-readiness and see the attainment gap between children experiencing financial disadvantage compared with those who aren’t increasing

Between 2021 and 2023, the children’s charity provided a total of 5753 grants to UK families in colder months (October to March) compared to 2427 in warmer months.

As Syria faces a critical turning point with cautious optimism for the future, the needs of children have never been higher with an urgent increase in funding required.

LONDON, Monday December 9 - New analysis on the quality and quantity of childcare provision in England has revealed that the massive expansion of free childcare currently underway is at risk of not delivering for poorer families, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Save the Children.

KYIV, 9 December 2024 – The war in Ukraine is taking an increasingly heavy toll on children’s mental health with some developing speech defects and uncontrollable twitching, while others have terrible nightmares and scream in their sleep, according to Save the Children.

Families living in Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp are resorting to desperate measures with some going as far as eating animal feed to survive after four months of famine.

GAZA, 30 November 2024 - It is with profound sadness that we confirm that a staff member of Save the Children was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis today, the second Save the Children colleague killed in Gaza since the war began.

GAZA, 29 November 2024 – About 235,000 children forced from their homes by bombs, bullets and displacement orders in Gaza are facing increasing risk of disease as days of heavy rains flood tents and turn camps into swamps, Save the Children said.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza, occupied Palestinian territory, has inflicted unprecedented and potentially irreversible harm on Palestinian children, with consequences that threaten not only their individual futures but the very fabric of Palestinian society for generations to come. To safeguard these children’s futures and prevent further irreparable damage, urgent and comprehensive action from the international community is needed.

Boosting the financial pledge and constructive engagement on IDA21 are a down payment on the UK's support for multilateralism and international collaboration.

Save the Children welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah but said that the violence must stop immediately to protect children in Lebanon.

About 130,000 children aged under 10 have been trapped for 50 days in areas in northern Gaza that are almost entirely inaccessible to aid workers and not receiving food.

Experiencing its worst floods in decades, Bangladesh is ranked as the seventh most extreme disaster risk-prone country in the world.

The new target figure of $300 billion a year by 2035 flies in the face of what is needed to tackle this emergency.

New festive Shaun the Sheep animation celebrates Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day

We are outraged by the extremely low target of $250 billion per year by 2035 in the latest draft of the COP29 finance agreement.

Actress Ashley Jensen has joined a group of schoolchildren on a knitted red carpet in the East Midlands to host an exclusive premiere for Christmas Jumper Day.

More than half a million babies have been born in Ukraine since full-scale war broke out 1,000 days ago.

As we go into the 13th year of Christmas Jumper Day, it’s easy to forget about the meaning behind it. Among the fun and festivities, with the excitement of jazzy jumpers and Christmas crafts, children can be forgiven for forgetting why Save the Children works hard to raise money for kids in the UK and around the world. 

As we go into the 13th year of Christmas Jumper Day, it’s easy to forget about the meaning behind it. Many secondary school students could be donning their jazzed-up jumper for the third, fourth, or even fifth time. But do they really know much about the day, the charity behind the event or where the money they raise goes?

We welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to an 81% emissions reduction by 2035.

Fundraising events like Christmas Jumper Day are an important part of the school year - they let kids have fun while developing empathy.

711 million children were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the first nine months of this year - the highest number recorded since 1992.

Content creator Shabaz Ali is the latest ambassador to be joining Save the Children UK and will be supporting the charity by running the 2025 London Marathon.

Celebrities urge the nation to swap, buy second-hand or re-wear a pre-loved jumper for Save the Children's annual festive fundraiser, Christmas Jumper Day.

Moazzam Malik, a former senior civil servant and diplomat, has been appointed Chief Executive of Save the Children UK.

Attacks overnight that reportedly killed 50 children in besieged northern Gaza demands international intervention.

$37 million initiative by the Green Climate Fund, the Government of Malawi, and Save the Children and its partners to support a fifth of Southern Malawi's population.

Reshaping the UK's ODA for better spending.

A fully funded WHO can save an additional 40 million lives over the next 4 years.

We welcome and support the government’s key international development priorities the Minister for Development, Anneliese Dodds set out today.

Single parent carers, disabled single parents, those with no recourse to public funds and those in education and training are unable to access childcare free hours

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching a Middle East Humanitarian Appeal to raise urgent funds for people whose lives are being devastated by conflict.

About 10 million children across four countries in West and Central Africa are currently out of school due to massive regional flooding.

GAZA, 14 October 2024 – Up to 400,000 Palestinians were on Monday trapped across northern Gaza, with at least 300 people reportedly killed in nine days of bombardment.

At least 3,100 children aged under five have been killed in Gaza with other under-fives at risk from severe malnutrition.

Through the eyes of our colleagues in Sudan, we look at five things you need to know and explore what needs to happen to restore hope.

On the 12th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl mother and Save the Children employee shares her vision of what the future could one day hold.

The health and wellbeing of women, girls, and the LGBTQI+ community is under threat from a globally coordinated and well-funded attack on their rights.

How the Save the Children community based project Ehangu has helped bring communities together in Cardiff and beyond.

Virgin Atlantic announces two new partners to support its STEM education programme and disaster relief effort

Death rates from major cholera outbreaks in Sudan and Nigeria have surged to up to three times the global average putting thousands of children at risk.

This World Teachers’ Day 2024 is an opportunity to spotlight a group of educators whose exceptional contributions to their communities often go unrecognised.

What we want to say is simple: we never imagined the world would allow this horror to continue for so long, or for Israel to act with such impunity.

Families fleeing violence in Lebanon are struggling to find safety in shelters across the country with at least one million people now displaced.

Children in the south of Lebanon are in grave danger of loss of life, physical harm, and severe emotional distress following a ground incursion of the south of Lebanon.

About 60,000 children have fled into Syria from Lebanon in the past week since hostilities intensified.

Save the Children and the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action insights into protecting vulnerable communities from climate-related disasters.

Save the Children welcome Keir Starmer's commitment to responsible global leadership at UNGA, but urge this pledge to be matched with action.

For more than a decade our partnership with the Gates Foundation has made real progress in healthcare for children.

At least 21 children are among an estimated 270 people killed, and more than 1,000 injured in Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon.

The launch of the Civil Society Commission by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in September 2023 was a historic moment.

The number of children killed or injured by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank has more than doubled since last October.

15 aid organisations demand international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, arms embargo, and end to Israel’s systematic aid obstruction.

Children in wartorn Sudan are likely to go for days or weeks without food or medicine as key bridge washed away in heavy rains.

Heavy rains in Borno state, Northeast Nigeria have led to the worst flooding in 30 years, affecting at least 239,000 people.

31 organisations call on all UN Member States to take urgent steps to protect people deprived of their liberty across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel.

Recent heavy rains and floods across West Africa have forced nearly 950,000 people [1], many of them children, from their homes across Mali, Nigeria and Niger.

Leading children's rights organisations tell the Covid Inquiry how UK inequality levels on eve of pandemic meant children in struggling families were hit the hardest.

Thousands of children in eastern Sudan are at risk of cholera following a major outbreak caused by widespread flooding, contaminated water and a decimated health system

Save the Children reacts to drone and missile attacks that killed seven people, including three children, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Following the Government’s decision to suspend some arms licences to Israel, 18 UK charities and organisations have issued the following statement.

Israeli forces have rained bombs down on Gaza, killing more than 14,000 Palestinian children. These bombs are being dropped from planes made with British parts.

Save the Children UK, said reports that children had died in the Channel earlier today were deeply upsetting.

This year Shaun the Sheep has taken on a new fleece of life in the hope of encouraging schools and youth groups to sign up and take part in Christmas Jumper Day.

Three in four children in Ukraine are living in constant fear amid an escalating mental health crisis.

The UK Govt has rightly recognised the clear risk that the Govt of Israel is breaking international humanitarian law. But a partial suspension does not go far enough.

A record 766 million children were exposed to extreme heatwaves in the twelve months from July 2023 to June 2024, according to new analysis by Save the Children.

Hundreds of drones and missiles have struck Ukraine in recent hours, with at least four children have injured in the strikes according to local reports.

This year's Scottish high school exam results show many things, and depending on who is doing the looking there is both good and bad news to be seen.

Blog about SC UK on Senegal programme visit.

New displacement orders issued by Israeli authorities have forced another mass movement of families and humanitarian workers from areas in Deir al-Balah.

Nearly 500 unaccompanied and separated children have arrived in Blue Nile and Gedaref states over six weeks as heavy fighting forces more people to flee for safety.

Aid agencies and medical professionals have joined forces to call urgently for a ceasefire to allow life-saving polio vaccinations to be administered to children.

A bigger and better IDA21 has a role in addressing the climate finance gap for children

At least 131 children, including babies, have been reported killed or injured in Haiti so far in 2024.

Newborn babies as young as two weeks old are catching the deadly mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s overcrowded hospitals.

Children among more than 100 killed in Gaza in worst school attack in 10 months

Child casualties in Ukraine surged by nearly 40% in the first half of this year, bringing the total number of children killed or injured to 2,200.

There is now a clear consensus that ditching this cruel and unfair policy must be a priority at the Autumn Statement.

12 tips you can trust: talking to your children about racism by Reema Malhotra, Director of Strategy & Chief of Staff, Save the Children UK

Palestinian children in Israeli-run prisons have told Save the Children of facing increasing hunger and abuse, including sexual violence, with conditions deteriorating

Following the announcement made by the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, that UNRWA funding will be restored, Save the Children says it is a step in the right direction.

Some 23,000 young people have cast their vote in a mass-scale election for children across England and Wales.

Save the Children statement on the UK government's announcement of a Child Poverty Taskforce

Save the Children UK responds to the King's Speech

Floods from heavy rains and storms have killed about 40 people in eastern Afghanistan and about 1,500 children have lost their homes.

Mahama II Health Centre has revolutionised maternal and newborn care at Rwanda’s largest refugee camp.

On a journey back to his birthplace, Save the Children ambassador Sir Mo Farah said it was heartbreaking to witness the devastating impact climate change.

For most of us, climate change seems remote and theoretical. It’s a story happening in the news or in the future. But that's not the story for children.

Results in mass-scale election for children: Labour win 32% of the vote, followed by Green Party on 29%

The number of children in Sudan facing severe food shortages has almost doubled in six months with about 75% of children now going hungry.

Six reflections from the TES stocktake

How Save the Children worked with the British Standards Institution on new, free child protection guidance for UK organisations.

The Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action and Save the Children have launched a new research initiative to help make anticipatory action more effective.

Nearly the entire population of the Gaza strip, or 96% of the population, are facing acute food shortages according to figures released today by the IPC.

Up to 21,000 children are estimated to be missing in the chaos of the war in Gaza, many trapped beneath rubble, detained or buried in unmarked graves.

Save the Children UK’s income increased slightly last year but remained under £300m, according to its annual report.

Save the Children’s 2023 annual report is published today.