Watch our review of 2024
2024 has been marked by war, poverty and disaster. But also, by an extraordinary solidarity.
For many children, the year brought heartbreak. Children were forced from their homes and villages. Many packed their whole lives into a small bag. Said goodbye to family members they might not see again. Beds left unmade, doors wide open, lives on pause.
But we believe that children everywhere deserve to feel a sense of safety, of belonging, of home. And we know you do too.
That's why this year we created safe spaces for children living constant danger. Set up maternal health for pregnant women forced to give birth in a warzone. Provided refugee children with language classes. Installed solar-powered water pumps to villages facing drought. Provided a helping hand to families here in the UK going without the basics.
So that children – no matter where they live – can feel at home.
Read the stories below of children we helped feel at home in 2024.
Their stories are our story.
The story of children finding a way home.
A pink bow
A nursery abandoned. An emergency tent. And a pink bow.
Tima* had no idea in July that the nursery she was preparing for her baby daughter would never be used. The cot never slept in.
She imagined spoiling her with the best clothes and food.
But when war broke out in Gaza, everything changed.
“It was tough being pregnant during the war. All the moving around. I’d just get settled in one place then I’d have to move again.”
Nine months later, baby Lana* was born. Safely – thanks to our emergency maternity unit in Gaza.
“The delivery was very easy,” says Tima. But she’s worried for Lana.
Her family is living in a tent after their home was hit by an airstrike. Tima worries it isn’t a safe space for baby Lana.
“I’ll protect her as best I can,” says Tima. “We hope it’ll be OK.”
Three Toy Cars
A whole life bundled into a small bag. 3 toy cars salvaged from a lifelong collection. A new language, a new life.
For Marko* and his mum Yana*, who fled their home in Odesa when the war broke out in Ukraine, life changed in an instant.
Yana remembers the shock of it. “It was loud and scary. You realise that one bag and your child are your whole life now.”
But at a Save the Children refugee centre in Bucharest, Marko’s starting to find his feet. Language classes. Art sessions. A homework club. And a portable computer to help him keep up.
“I want to try this new school and make new friends,” says Marko, who is getting ready to start school in September.
Burnt Earth, Spicy Seeds
Dappled sunlight. Tall grass. The swish of a horse’s tail.
Atika’s home – Sumba Island, Indonesia – is beautiful. But its future is under threat from climate change.
Atika, 12, knows all too well what drought looks like: “the grass is brown... the trees are brown too and the fields turn brown.”
When the harvests failed, food became scarce, and water sources dried up. Children like Atika had to spend their time collecting water from springs instead of going to school and playing with friends.
That’s why we’ve been supporting the community to set up solar-powered water pumps and providing families with seeds – like chilli and aubergine – that will grow even when the rains fail.
Which means Atika can get on with being 12 – climbing trees with her best friend Dwi, munching on local papaya and caring for her neighbour’s horse.
Dads at home
High fives and cuddles with Baby Hazrat. Kitchen gardens. Pounded pumpkin leaves in cornmeal porridge.
Adam and his wife Sauda have created a loving home. They share childcare, cooking and cleaning, and both work selling fish.
Adam’s a lead member of the parents’ group at Save the Children supports in his village in Malawi. Dads are encouraged to care for their children, ensuring they have a healthy diet, taking turns on bathtime and everything else in-between.
Challenging traditional gender roles, Adam says, “It’s outdated to label tasks as women’s or men’s.”
Sauda’s fully onside. “I’m proud that my man is different.” The family is clearly thriving – seven-month-old Hazrat is already trying to stand up!
Making a house a home
“We’re all together, that’s the main thing.”
Mary knows the true meaning of home after everything her family has been through. Pushed from place to place following an eviction, they had been living out of a suitcase for months.
Sophie, Gethin, Owain and Bethan found it tough having to move schools and leave their friends, not to mention being without their toys and home comforts for so long.
We were able to make sure the family quickly got some basics – saucepans, mattresses, a few toys. Now, the kids are feeling more at home. And everyone – including their teddies Beary and Teddy – have somewhere cosy to curl up and rest.
A taste of home
Image Credit: Jonathan Hyams/Save the Children
Black pepper. Rice. A few big pots to cook in. A highchair.
Simple things that helped mum Tunko* and her toddler Baya* feel a little more at home when starting their new life in Cardiff.
We made sure this loving family had access to the basics – something they had no way of affording on asylum support.
We’re also working with local partners in the community, to make sure they are getting the support they need for the longer term too.
A new home from home, Tunko visits the community centre where she’s learning English and Welsh, making new friends, and playing with little Baya as he takes his first wobbly steps.
“Baya makes me feel love,” she says.
Open your festive card
Here's a card to say thank you for your support in 2024. It made all the difference.
*Names changed to keep children and their families safe.
