Health

Health worker Anab and her colleagues Maryam and Kaltun travel by ambulance, on foot and by donkey to bring routine vaccines to remote and nomadic families in Puntland, Somalia. The hardest part of the job is not the distance. It is trust, and they are winning it.

In 2022, Save the Children Laos and World Mosquito Program (WMP) launched its initiative in the capital city of Vientiane to combat the growing threat of mosquito-borne diseases. Phase 1 of the project, which covered the Saysettha and Chantabouly districts, was successfully completed in August 2023. Following this success, Phase 2A expanded coverage to include the districts of Sisattanak, Sikhottabong, Hatxayfong, Naxaythong and Xaythany, concluding in January 2026.Now entering Phase 2B, the project is scaling up significantly to cover approximately 37 km² across all nine districts of Vientiane Capital, alongside 25 km² across Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Savannakhet, and Champasak provinces. This expansion will bring WMP’s protective, self-sustaining Wolbachia method to more than 1.2 million people.

Hundreds of people displaced by Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes are sharing extremely limited toilets in informal camps, while others are risking returning to damaged homes to use bathrooms despite fears the buildings could collapse.

The King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) and Save the Children Jordan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance mental health and psychosocial support services for children with cancer from Gaza who are receiving treatment at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), as well as their caregivers.

As climate risks continue to intensify, early action is key to protecting community health. Community-based approaches are opening up more sustainable solutions – especially for children and vulnerable groups.

As we move through 2026, the world is facing a stark reality: families and children are experiencing some of the greatest and most urgent needs in modern history.

The first shipment of vaccines to South Kordofan state in nearly three years will restore lifesaving immunisation services to children and communities cut off from essential supplies due to conflict and siege.

In Bale Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, many families live in remote villages far from health posts, where poor roads make access to services even harder. With training and support from Save the Children through the Gates Foundation project, health extension worker Sofiya* is reaching zero-dose children through vaccination campaigns. Her work, supported by community volunteers and leaders, has helped families like Halema’s* ensure that even newborns, like her 6-day-old son Ali*, receive life-saving vaccines.

Children in Gaza have entered 2026 facing ongoing storms and flooding that have ripped tents and left them exposed to water-borne diseases with an urgent need for supplies to rebuild shelters, Save the Children said.

Children in Gaza are sleeping on the bare ground with no shelter, in flimsy shorts and t-shirts that are sodden with sewage water after their tents flooded in a weekend of heavy rains, putting them at risk of disease, Save the Children said

Save the Children Uganda was recognized and appreciated by the Ministry of Health and the Committee of Experts on the National Safe Motherhood Committee for its outstanding contribution to strengthening the policy environment, planning, and monitoring and evaluation of Adolescent Health and School Health programmes. This recognition further highlighted our role in supporting the implementation of the National Adolescent Health Costed Implementation Plan (ADH CIP) and in building the coordination capacity of districts heavily burdened by teenage pregnancy.

After a year of record-breaking temperatures, it is important to understand how extreme heat affects children

Junior was born with low birth weight (2400g) to a vulnerable teenage mother who soon developed mastitis, severely impacting breastfeeding and causing Junior's weight to drop to 2100g. After a community health worker's intervention led to their enrollment in a MAMI pathway at a local health center, Junior was eventually referred and admitted to Metuge District Hospital for severe acute malnutrition, receiving F-100 treatment and comprehensive care for seven days. Following discharge, he continued monitoring at a MAMI space with ongoing nutritional and breastfeeding support, while his mother participated in support sessions. The family, initially believing Junior wouldn't survive due to cultural beliefs, witnessed his full recovery, transforming his grandmother into a community health volunteer, highlighting the success of health education, community support, and nutrition interventions.

Fuel shortages in Gaza could cut off supplies of clean drinking water to about 44,000 children supported by Save the Children in a matter of days, increasing the risk of waterborne illnesses such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery, with these children only a small number of those impacted by fuel running out.

Nearly 1,000 people have been killed so far this year in Sudan while seeking health care or visiting loved ones in hospital

In Mt Darwin, Zimbabwe, the streets came to life with more than just the usual daily buzz. A mobile roadshow, led by the Ministry of Health and Childcare with support from Save the Children, brought entertainment and education on Cholera prevention.

Children in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya will benefit from new paediatric medical equipment as a result of a child-lens investment by Save the Children Global Ventures (SCGV).

A rare tropical disease that is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide was halved in one of the world’s worst-affected communities due to foreign aid but is now at risk of resurgence following aid cuts, as is another tropical eye disease, Save the Children said.

The Saving Women and Pre-term babies Project (SWAP) project is improving the survival of small and sick newborns and mothers likely to deliver pre-term babies through mobile technology. The Protecting Infants Remotely by SMS (PRISMS) which is a mobile technology application is designed to streamline and standardize newborn care in low-resource settings.

Marenet*, 57, is a mother of six who has suffered from ureterovaginal prolapse (UVP) for over twelve years, a condition that began during the delivery of her last child. Marenet’s family are subsistence farmers living in a remote village in the Tigray region, an area significantly impacted by a conflict that lasted for more than three years. This conflict caused extensive devastation to the region’s health infrastructure and overall health services. The impact of the war is still visible, and recovery will require a long time.To address these problems, Save the Children launched the surge team strategy with financial assistance from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. By deploying highly skilled medical and surgical teams to remote and inaccessible facilities, local people were able to receive life-saving services. These services targeted individuals with low incomes who could not afford health care and other related expenses. Consequently, the community benefited from free health treatments.Marenet’s story highlights the transformative impact of the medical care she received, giving her hope and a renewed sense of vitality.