EMERGENCIES

Sandy* (7) lives with two of her siblings and her mother Amal* (35) in a crowded informal camp in the Gaza Strip. They were displaced on the first day of the war in October 2023, and have been displaced several times since then. Amal says life in the informal camp is miserable and intolerable, and that the living conditions and contaminated water mean her children are constantly sick with diarrhoea, vomiting, fevers and skin conditions. But she feels powerless to improve their situation and to keep them safe because they have nowhere else to go and cannot access basic services. When Sandy came down with a fever, vomiting and dizziness, Amal brought her to the hospital where Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit is providing life-saving healthcare for children and their families. Sandy received a check-up with a Save the Children nurse and was provided with zinc and rehydration salts to help her recover. Our health workers are providing inpatient care for children with severe blast injuries and other emergency cases such as burns from campfires. Our teams are also providing primary healthcare for children who have infectious diseases and other illnesses. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

Mariya* with her grab bag in her school shelter in Kyiv Oleksandr Khomenko / Save the Children

Nafeesa*, 24, gave birth to her son, Yaqub*, three days ago, at a site for displaced people in Sudan. She used to live in Khartoum with her husband and seven-year-old son Ali*, but violent conflict forced them to flee their home. Nafeesa says before the conflict started, her life in Khartoum was good, their financial situation was stable, and she had access to quality healthcare for her first pregnancy and birth. Now they’re displaced, it’s difficult for them to afford food and basic supplies like soap. Nafeesa says they’re surviving only with the support of humanitarian organisations and their neighbours’ generosity. Save the Children has deployed its Emergency Health Unit to support mobile health teams in White Nile and Al Gezira States to provide essential healthcare services for host communities and displaced children and adults. Services include treatment for diseases, vaccinations, maternal, newborn and child healthcare, the management of malnutrition cases and psychosocial support. Nafeesa attended Save the Children’s mobile clinic and received pre-natal checks, support to deliver her baby and post-natal care. Mosaab Hassouna / Save the Children

When armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) attacked the village and surrounding area where Prisca* lived, she was forced to flee, along with her mother and grandmother. They walked for miles to a nearby camp, passing many dead bodies along the way, with just a small bag each and the clothes they were wearing. Although Prisca* is pleased to be away from the fighting and the sound of gunshots, life in the camp is not easy. Prisca* sleeps on the floor with just a thin blanket for warmth, and she and her family have very little food to eat each day. Prisca* is now part of a Save the Children programme which helps displaced children to return to school, providing them special lessons to catch up with the schooling they have missed. She also received a school uniform, some notebooks and pens from the charity. Hugh Kinsella Cunningham / Save the Children

Iman* is 10 years old and in the fifth grade. Three years ago, she fled conflict and was forced to relocate to a displacement camp elsewhere in Syria with her father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters. There are approximately 250 families living at the displacement camp. Iman* loves to help tend the garden the family has painstakingly built around their tent. They used to own land and work in agriculture. Now, the family uses the few meters in front of their tent to grow vegetables and flowers. Iman* has seen the effects of climate change on her country and wants to do her part to help by creating a greener environment. Iman* says that climate change is frightening due to the potential of an uptick in storms (natural disasters) and drying up bodies of water. Iman* says that sometimes there isn’t enough water as it is, which makes doing laundry and boiling water for cooking difficult. She hopes that people to remember that taking care of the environment is important. Her father, Jamal*, underlines Iman*s hope by saying that climate change is becoming more noticeable every year. However, he believes that the environment can be preserved through agriculture by cultivating plants that cool the atmosphere and stopping deforestation. Iman*s family doesn’t have an income. They depend on food aid, which isn’t always available. In addition, the family lives in a tent pitched on mountainous, rocky ground. In the winter, the tent becomes extremely cold and Iman* often gets sick. During the summer months, the tent becomes extremely hot and, as a result, sleeping inside is uncomfortable. At school, Iman* loves studying Arabic, art, mathematics, and science. She wants to be a pharmacist or a painter. Looking forward, Iman* dreams of one day returning home. She wants all children to live in peace without conflict. Khalil Alachawi / Save the Children

In a remote village in North-West Kenya, Saadia*, faced a harsh reality when a severe drought struck. Her livestock died, and her two-year-old daughter, Aisha*, fell ill due to malnutrition. "In the middle of the night, I was scared... I held her hand," Saadia* recalled. "When my daughter was sick, I thought she would die. I was terrified to see her in such a situation." Saadia* embarked on a day long journey to the Save the Children-supported Hospital. Aisha* received vital medical attention and nutritious food paste. "She has gained weight and is getting stronger," Saadia* proudly reported. "She was sick before I brought her here, but she's now in good health. The medical supplies she got were effective, and she feels good." With Aisha* now recovered, Saadia* said, "She is happy and healthy! If she is healthy, I can be happy." Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children