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✓ We reached 41.2 million children in 2024
✓ We respond to emergencies within 72 hours
✓ We work in 93 countries including the UK
✓ 86p in every £1 goes directly to helping children
✓ We supported 375,000 UK children and families in 2024
Our impact in 2024
The Numbers That Matter
The scale:
- Reached 41.2 million children globally
- Operated in 93 countries worldwide
- Supported 375,000 children and families in the UK
The speed:
- Responded to 112 emergencies
- Average response time of 72 hours from disaster to aid delivery
- Reached 23.8 million people through our Children's Emergency Fund
The depth:
- 7.5 million children accessing quality education programmes
- 1.8 million children receiving essential healthcare
- 890,000 children protected from violence and exploitation
The influence:
- 12 major policy changes secured for children's rights
- 47 government commitments on child protection
- Children's voices amplified in 23 international decision-making forums
Where Your Money Goes
86p in every £1 donated goes directly to helping children. The remaining 11p covers essential fundraising and administration costs that keep the organisation running.
You can see more where we spend our money on the diagram below which shows our charitable expenditure broken down by thematic areas.
Asma*, 30 holds her newborn baby Sara*, 4 days old at a mobile clinic, Sudan
Emergencies: We're first to respond, last to leave
When disaster strikes, children can't wait. That's why we respond within 72 hours – delivering food, water, medical care and safe spaces while others are still mobilising.
In 2024, we responded to 112 emergencies across 71 countries, reaching 23.8 million people.
From Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine, we're there when children need us most – and we stay long after the world stops watching.
The Toys She Packed When War Broke Out
When Oleksa and eight-year-old Eipril fled Kharkiv in March 2022, Oleksa told her daughter: "It's an emergency. Just grab the most important things."
Eipril packed a bag of clothes. Then she packed another bag—full of toys.
"My first instinct was, we don't need toys," remembers Oleksa. "Then I stopped and thought about it. If I was a child, what would be the most important thing for me?"
On the train out of Ukraine, surrounded by frightened families, Eipril opened her bag and gave a toy to every child. "They were sitting there playing together, and all the parents were just crying because it was so adorable," says Oleksa. "Even talking about it now still gives me goosebumps."
After months in emergency housing far from anyone they knew, Oleksa and Eipril finally settled in Margate. But starting over felt impossible. The flat was empty. Christmas was approaching. Money was tight.
Then Oleksa joined United Mothers—a support group for migrant mums, funded by Save the Children and run by our partner Beyond the Page. The warmth and acceptance there helped her regain confidence. Through the group, she learned about our Early Years Grant.
A portrait of Eipril, 11, with the My Little Ponies she brought on the journey from Ukraine, at her home near Margate, Kent
Eipril, 11 & mum Oleksa pose for a photo, at their home close to Margate, Kent
In December 2022, the grant turned their empty flat into a home. "I was really happy that we finally got our own place," says Oleksa. "I bought some presents for Eipril for Christmas as well. A big art set and a big collection of Play-Doh. She would constantly have a piece of Play-Doh in her hands... it helped her calm down."
Three years later, that same Christmas tree is still standing. "Our Christmas tree from three years... It's still there," Oleksa smiles.
Today, Oleksa works for Beyond the Page, facilitating United Mothers courses and supporting other migrant mums. She calls the group "dear to her heart." After all they've endured, mother and daughter share an unbreakable bond.
Fighting child poverty right here in the UK
4.5 million children are growing up in poverty across the UK – that's nearly one in three. Behind this statistic are real children going to school hungry, wearing clothes that don't fit, missing out on things their friends take for granted.
We're supporting families through baby banks, holiday hunger programmes and cost of living grants – while fighting for the systemic change that tackles the root causes.
In 2024, we supported over 375,000 children and families in the UK.
Bethan, three & mum Mary at home in Cardiff
Building Lasting Change Through Long-Term Development
Emergency response saves lives. Long-term programmes transform them.
While crisis work makes headlines, sustainable development work quietly changes millions of childhoods. We build schools and train teachers. We strengthen health systems and create child protection networks. We work with communities to create change that lasts.
This work takes years, not weeks. It's less dramatic but just as essential.
What Building Futures Means
In Ethiopia: We're not just building schools – we're training teachers, engaging communities and ensuring girls stay in education beyond primary level.
In Bangladesh: We're not just treating sick children – we're training community health workers, improving nutrition systems and preventing disease before it starts.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo: We're not just protecting children from violence – we're changing the systems and attitudes that allow harm to happen.
In 2024 the Save the Children movement delivered:
- Education programming to 7.5 million children
- Healthcare to 1.8 million children
- Child protection services to 890,000 children
Development work doesn't create viral moments or trending hashtags. But it creates futures.
Learn more: Where We Work | Education Programmes | Health & Nutrition | 2024 Annual Report
The Vaccine That Arrived on a Motorbike
Fourteen-year-old Fati* knows exactly what vaccines prevent. "Influenza, diarrhoea, malaria, and more," he lists confidently. He has good reason to be knowledgeable.
Fourteen-year-old Fati* knows exactly what vaccines prevent. "Influenza, diarrhoea, malaria, and more," he lists confidently. He has good reason to be knowledgeable.
Three years ago, during a measles outbreak in rural Ethiopia, Fati's younger brother Mohamed* died. The family had been travelling further than usual during a severe drought, searching for water. Mohamed missed a vaccination outreach session. He never got another chance.
"Losing him hurt me and my family deeply," remembers Fati's father, Muktar*. "When I see the kids he played with, it still hurts me a lot."
With no health centre in their remote village, families like Fati's rely entirely on outreach teams for essential healthcare. That's where our partnership with GSK comes in.
Fati, 14, playing with his younger brother Khalif, 3months, at their home in a remote community in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Maheder Haileselassie / Save the Children
Health worker Miraha, 25, vaccinates Iftine, 7 months, at a mobile outreach session in a remote community in Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
Through our BOOST programme, we're reaching Ethiopia's most isolated communities—training health workers like Miraha*, who travels 10km or more (sometimes on foot, sometimes on Save the Children-provided motorbikes) to deliver lifesaving vaccines. We've provided solar-powered refrigerators to keep vaccines safe during transport, tablets for digitalised tracking, and training on everything from injection safety to addressing vaccine hesitancy with care and empathy.
At one recent session in Fati's community, Miraha vaccinated over 100 children—including Fati's three-month-old brother, Khalif, who received his first round of immunisations.
"My brother Khalif had his first vaccine yesterday," says Fati. "I am very glad."
Fati is a protective older brother who was overjoyed when Khalif was born. "When he starts laughing, I laugh along with him," he says. Now, he's making sure all his siblings get vaccinated. He never wants his family to experience that loss again.
Ethiopia has 2.9 million zero-dose children—those who've never received any routine vaccination. With a £15 million investment from GSK, we're working across the Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regions to change that. Since the programme began, no outbreaks have been reported in our intervention areas.
Your support funds health workers, motorbikes, solar refrigerators, and the systems that get vaccines to children who need them most. It's lasting change—one dose at a time.
Advocacy: Fighting for Children's Rights
Every Child Deserves a Voice
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is change the rules.
While we work directly with children every day, we also fight for the policies, laws and systems that shape every childhood. From online safety to refugee rights to tackling child poverty, we push governments and organisations to do better.
Because helping individual children is vital. But changing the systems that affect all children? That's how we create lasting impact.
Our Advocacy in Action
Current campaigns:
- Screen Safety: Protecting children from online harm and exploitation
- Child Refugee Crisis: Ensuring safe passage, protection and asylum for displaced children
- UK Child Poverty: Demanding systemic solutions including scrapping the two-child benefit cap
- Climate Justice: Fighting for children's environmental rights and climate action
Our Youth Advisory Board – young people with lived experience of the issues we campaign on – shapes our work and holds us accountable. They're not just consulted. They lead. Find out more.
Recent wins:
- Influenced policy on child refugee protection at government level
- Secured commitments on child poverty reduction strategies
- Put children's voices at the centre of decisions affecting them in 23 international forums
Learn more: Our Campaigns | Youth Advisory Board | Policy & Research | Get Involved | Parent Hub
Why Your Monthly Gift Changes Everything
One-off gifts respond to crises. Regular gifts can prevent them.
When you give monthly, you're not just reacting to emergencies as they happen – you're funding the programmes that stop crises before they start.
Here's What £10 a Month Really Means
Over a year: Your £120 could provide school materials for four children for an entire year
Reliable planning: We can commit to multi-year education and health programmes knowing the funding is there
Rapid response: When disaster strikes, monthly gifts mean we already have resources mobilised and ready to deploy
Vital essentials: Your regular gift funds training, systems and infrastructure – the less exciting things that make everything else possible
The Collective Power of Monthly Givers
Our regular donors are the foundation of our work. In 2024, monthly givers collectively funded:
- 156 schools across 18 countries
- Training for 2,400 health workers
- Long-term protection programmes for 18,000 children
Individual gifts add up to extraordinary impact. And unlike one-off donations tied to specific appeals, regular gifts give us the flexibility to respond where the need is greatest.
Learn more: Ways to Give | Regular Giving FAQ | Legacy Giving | Corporate Partnerships
The Teacher Who Carried a Student to School
The bullets weren't meant for Chouchou*, but they changed her life forever. At just one year old, she lost her parents—and her left leg—to political violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For years, Chouchou stayed home. No prosthetic leg. No money for school. No way to move.
Then Patience found her.
Patience is a headteacher employed through our AXE-Filles programme—a UK Aid-funded initiative giving girls in DRC access to quality education. When she met Chouchou sitting outside her home, unable to walk, Patience didn't hesitate. The next day, she carried the 10-year-old to school on her back.
For six months, Patience made the five-kilometre journey almost every day. We provided Chouchou with everything she needed: a school bag, uniforms, pens, notebooks. Then crutches. And finally, through our partner Humanity & Inclusion, a prosthetic leg.
Chouchou*, 10, and Patience by the river in Kasai, DRC
Chouchou*, 10, leaps in the air whilst playing the 'Oly game' outside the learning centre, in Kasai, DRC
"I'm very happy as I received my plastic leg," says Chouchou. "I play games with friends now."
Today, Chouchou is learning, building friendships, and dreaming of becoming a tailor. She's one of over 65,000 children—34,000 of them girls—now accessing education through AXE-Filles.
Your monthly gift funds teachers like Patience. School kits for children like Chouchou. Prosthetic legs that change lives. Month after month, you deliver hope to children who need it most.
Help Us Give a Life-Changing Gift
Every child deserves safety, education, protection and hope. Your donation delivers all four.
Choose How You'd Like to Help
Give Monthly – Reliable support that builds lasting change from just £5/month
Give Once – Respond to urgent needs right now
Give in Memory – Honour a loved one while helping children
Other Ways to Give – Payroll giving, legacy gifts, corporate partnerships
Key links
Our Key Reports
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my donation actually helps children?
89p in every £1 donated goes directly to our programmes helping children.
See our full financial breakdown.
How quickly can Save the Children respond to emergencies?
We can deliver aid within 72 hours of disaster striking, thanks to pre-positioned supplies and teams already on the ground in crisis-prone regions.
Does Save the Children work in the UK as well as overseas?
Yes. In 2024 we supported over 375,000 children and families in the UK through our child poverty programmes, while also working in 92 other countries worldwide.
Why is monthly giving better than one-off donations?
Both are valuable, but monthly gifts allow us to plan long-term programmes, respond faster to emergencies, and fund essential work that doesn't make headlines but changes lives.
Where does Save the Children have the biggest impact?
We work across three pillars: emergency response in conflict and disaster zones, long-term development in education/health/protection, and advocacy to change policies affecting all children.
*Names changed to protect identities
Page last updated: November 2025
