News

In the Afar region, Hayat*, a mother of two, has embraced the Emergent Literacy and Math (ELM) at Home initiative to transform her household into a vibrant learning environment. Following regular visits from teachers and participating in school-based parental meetings, Hayat* began creating teaching materials from available home resources to teach her son, Ali*, letters, colors, and numbers through play. This home-based intervention has led to a remarkable transformation in Ali’s* confidence and academic skills; he is now able to identify the English alphabet, handle a pencil to write letters, and read words and phrases—changes so visible that neighbors now remark that Hayat’s* house "looks like a school."

In the Afar region, Senait*, a mother of four, is witnessing a major shift in how her youngest daughter, Helen*, prepares for school. Unlike her older siblings who started primary school without any preparation, Helen* is supported by the Emergent Literacy and Math (ELM) at Home initiative. Through monthly teacher visits and school-based parental meetings, Senait* has learned to use local materials like cardboard to teach Helen* colours, letters, and numbers so she is well-prepared to start school. This "play-based" approach has not only improved Helen’s* literacy but has significantly boosted her confidence and communication skills.

In a pastoralist community in the Afar Region, five-year-old Kedija* is experiencing a different educational start than her older siblings. Through the LEGO Foundation-funded Childhood Development Activity (CDA), Kedija’s* parents, Halima* and Kemal*, participated in house-to-house awareness sessions and monthly parental group dialogues

These sessions taught them how to transform their home into a learning environment using locally available materials like sand, sticks, and mud. As a result, Kedija* has developed strong numeracy and literacy skills, improved her social interactions, and now dreams of becoming a doctor.

Hamida*, 29, is a mother of five children ranging from four months to seven years old. She is grateful to Allah that her entire family survived the relentless dry season in Ethiopia’s Somali region. However, they face a desperate struggle to survive after losing most of their livestock—their only source of income.
With no options left, Hamida and her family fled their small village in the Somali region about six years ago escaping a drought that killed most of their livestock. After walking for more than five hours, they arrived at a makeshift camp for temporary settlers on the outskirts of a nearby rural town, far from their original home. They have lived there ever since.

Following the failed rainy season known as Dayr, in October to December, most areas in the Somali region experienced severe drought, causing an acute shortage of water and pasture. This led to significant food insecurity among communities, forcing many families to leave their homes and travel to nearby small towns in hopes of receiving support from the government and humanitarian agencies.

As part of its emergency humanitarian assistance through the internal Humanitarian Fund (HF), Save the Children is on the ground providing lifesaving assistance to families most impacted by the dry season through the distribution of food and non-food items. To date, the organization has reached over 1,200 households, approximately more than 7,200 individuals.

Rukia* is a mother of seven, lives in a remote village in the Somali region where she raises livestock. Her family’s livelihood depends entirely on the livestock for both income and sustenance. However during long dry periods, her livestock was not producing enough milk to feed her children and be a useful source of income for Rukia*.

In 2022, Rukia and her family had to leave their home village, which is located far from where they currently settled. They were escaping severe dry weather conditions caused by consecutive failed rains, which led to a critical shortage of water and pasture for their livestock and themselves. The prolonged dry spell resulted in the loss of most of their livestock, but the family relocated with support from the local administration and humanitarian organizations.

Rahwa, 42, is a mother of six children, four boys and two girls, and lives in a remote rural village in Ethiopia's Somali region. Her family of eight relies on small-scale agriculture, including crop production and livestock raising, for their livelihood. For their family, however, livestock comes first in terms of income and sustenance.

In recent times, recurrent failed rains, combined with high food prices in the local market have been a challenge. Save the Children, through its anticipatory action initiatives funded by Save the Children Korea (SCK) and in partnership with the local government, has been helping families in this area by providing improved crops and fodder seeds. This support has enabled families like Rahwa's to feed their livestock. Rahwa produces fodder and crops, the latter which are used for family consumption and selling of the surplus.

The Save the Children Immunisation Accelerator, backed by GSK, has selected two standout projects to improve child vaccination rates in Nigeria and Ethiopia, where millions of children remain unvaccinated.

Both projects were chosen from 120 submissions and will receive $100,000 in support. These innovations aim to transform immunization outcomes and are part of a broader mission to ensure no child suffers from preventable diseases.

Developed by Save the Children and Hawassa University College of Medicine & Health Sciences (HUCMHS), the easy-to-use screening tools are colour-coded and include a laminated card and a plastic tool with a 90-degree “heel holder” to guide where to place a baby’s heel for the measurement.

Hundreds of children living in the remote Gofa zone of Southern Ethiopia remain at risk of death and injury from rain-induced disasters

Devastating floods and landslides have affected about 600,000 children across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia so far this year.

A new cholera outbreak in Ethiopia’s Somali region is exacerbating suffering for thousands of children and families recently displaced by floods.

Save the Children called on Wednesday for access for humanitarian aid to continue in Ethiopia's Amhara region