Pakistan

Child marriage has devastating consequences for girls, depriving them of their rights to health, education, safety and participation.

Punjab in the country’s east is dealing with the biggest flood in its history, according to government officials, as heavy rains continue in many parts of the country, overwhelming major rivers.

"Every morning, I watched my mother cooking using firewood or dung for fuel, in a kitchen filled with toxic smoke. I didn't know then what I know now - that this smoke contains particles smaller than a human hair that enter our lungs and bloodstream. When we learned breathing this toxic air led to respiratory diseases, and even death, we knew we had to act."The reality in rural Pakistan mirrors a global crisis. Our solution? Eco Stove - a solar-powered cooking system that aligns with the World Health Organization's guidelines for indoor air quality. Why did we chose solar power ? It’s a shocking fact that globally, more than half the trees are cut down for firewood and charcoal. Hence with every Eco-stove we also save our forests in Pakistan, protect health of women and children who are affected most - and also save precious hours they spent previously gathering firewood.A Game Changer for Climate and HealthBy eliminating the need for firewood, Eco Stove directly combats deforestation and carbon emissions. Forests remain intact, biodiversity is preserved, and families breathe cleaner air. Beyond the environmental benefits, the transition to solar powered cooking marks a significant step in improving public health. Reduced exposure to harmful smoke means fewer respiratory diseases, healthier children, and safer homes. This shift underscores the profound impact of small innovations in tackling large scale crises.For rural women, Eco Stove is more than just a cooking tool it’s a gateway to economic and social empowerment. With the time saved from firewood collection, women can engage in income generating activities, spend more time with their families, or simply rest. Cleaner kitchens create healthier households, and faster cooking processes make daily life more efficient. The burden of firewood collection often falls on children, particularly girls, forcing them to miss school. With access to clean cooking technology, families no longer have to choose between education and household responsibilities. Children can focus on their studies in smoke free environments, improving both their health and academic performance. Clean cooking is not just a convenience it’s an investment in the future of the next generation.Scaling Up for a Sustainable FutureAs a finalist in the Generation Hope Goals contest, Eco Stove is poised for greater impact. Winning would accelerate production, expand outreach, and refine the technology to make it even more affordable but beyond scaling, the initiative seeks to integrate educational programs, ensuring long term awareness of clean cooking’s health and environmental benefits. The ultimate vision is ambitious yet essential: a future where every rural household in Pakistan has access to safe, sustainable cooking solutions. As young climate activists, we also call out to leaders to include clean cooking targets in their nationally determined contributions and supporting concepts like solar based cooking stoves so all rural households can use clean cooking options like Eco-stove leading to healthier lives for families and children. Generation Hope Goals is a collaborative initiative by Save the Children (SC), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Regional Collaboration Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNFCCC RCC AP), Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, ChildFund, and Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP). Generation Hope Goals is aimed at engaging young minds and leaders in developing their existing innovative climate action solutions linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under review at the 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD).

Cyclone-proof food, climate resilient schools and aid delivering drones are just some of the ways Save the Children has been tackling the impacts of the climate crisis on children in 2024.

A new climate resilient school built to withstand extreme weather has opened in Pakistan’s Sindh province, where just one in five of the nearly 20,000 schools that were destroyed or damaged in catastrophic flooding two years ago have been or are being rebuilt, Save the Children said.

Almost half of all school aged children in Pakistan – almost 26 million – are out of school until at least the middle of November due to hazardous air pollution.

More than 150 children killed by floods and heavy rains in #Pakistan since July - over half of all deaths with thousands displaced.

Thousands of children in Pakistan at risk of deadly disease as monsoon rains start

More than half of Pakistan’s school age children – about 26 million - will be locked out of classrooms for a week due to an ongoing heat wave.

Save the Children press release on families returning from Pakistan to Afghanistan

Save the Children press release on children crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Save the Children says children across the areas affected by Pakistan's worst flooding on record last year are still living in fear, and still hungry

Op-ed by doctor talking about the impact of the floods in Pakistan 6 months on.

10 month old Jaiyan* is treated for severe acute malnutrition

Donors have pledged US$9 billion for relief efforts for floods in Pakistan

The world should be watching to see if the world’s high-income countries and historical emitters back their ambitious talk with real cash.

The number of children needing humanitarian assistance rose more than 20% this year to 149 million, with Afghanistan then the DRC most severely impacted.

STATEMENT: Save the Children calls for climate justice as negotiations at COP27 pick up again

Extreme floods throw the lives of 19 million children off course in past three months – Save the Children

PAKISTAN FLOODS: More than 3.4 million children across Pakistan going hungry

SAVE THE CHILDREN WELCOMES FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN PAKISTAN AID APPEAL

“I don’t have a life anymore”: Misery and loss for Afghans in Pakistan as 800,000 refugees hit by floods

PAKISTAN: Children at risk of snake bites and disease as 70% of flood-hit families live in squalid conditions without proper shelter

NEARLY 500 CHILDREN DEAD IN 'HORROR SHOW' OF PAKISTAN FLOODS

A third of Pakistan is under water, submerged after one of the worst monsoon seasons in recent history. Yet three months ago, the country was in the grips of a murderous heatwave, with temperatures regularly over 50˚C. The country is a victim – and will become a survivor – of a climatic catastrophe.

No back-to-school for thousands of children as nearly 19,000 schools damaged, destroyed by floods in Pakistan

At least 14% of people in Pakistan severely affected by devastating floods