Mazen, 41, is a senior programme manager with Save the Children in Lebanon. As a Shelter and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene specialist, Mazen works to give families safe homes and access to clean water and sanitation.Recently however, Mazen too has been displaced, He was forced to flee his home in March 2026 when the conflict escalated in Lebanon with his pregnant wife and 11-year-old daughter.In the lead-up to Father’s Day on Sunday 21 June, Mazen reflects on the challenges facing his family while displaced, and what it’s like being a parent in a war:

About 70% of Nigerian children lack access to water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities. [BMC Pediatrics] [1]More than 161 million people in Nigeria rely on contaminated water sources, and only 6% of healthcare facilities have basic WASH services. [UNICEF] [2]Only 26.5 per cent of the population use improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities. [UNICEF] [3]Over 10 million school children lack basic sanitation at school. [Wellbeing Foundation Africa & Reckitt][4]

Conflict forced Hawa*, 60, to flee with nothing. Unconditional cash from Save the Children, through the ECHO-funded Somali Cash Consortium, carried her family through their hardest months in Qandala, Somalia.

The outbreak declared on 15 May has rapidly become the third largest ever recorded in the DRC, with some 782 confirmed cases and 181 confirmed deaths, according to latest figures from the Ministry of Health, and children are among the most vulnerable, said Save the Children.

Jules*, 42, is the head nurse of a health centre in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), working at the heart of the Ebola outbreak, managing care while promoting prevention in the community. Chronic shortages of protective equipment and limited funding leave staff exposed and patients without access to treatment, allowing the virus to spread. Jules is deeply affected by the human toll, especially mothers separated from their babies, and fears rising malnutrition and deaths. Despite it all, Jules keeps going, but the fear and pressure are never far from his mind.Here is Jules' diary, where he shares what a week in the life of an Ebola health nurse in DRC looks like.

SCiK is seeking to engage a facilitator to support the implementation of the consultation methodology at the national level, analyze the data and draft the national results, with key recommendations included. The assignment will be implemented through a participatory and child-rights-based methodology, grounded in co-creation with children and developed collaboratively by consortium partners, ensuring that children are not only consulted, but are actively engaged in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the digital literacy packages.

In South Sudan, some children know the price of a sack of charcoal before they know the periodic table. Some can negotiate with customers before they can confidently read a textbook. Some learn how to survive before they are given the chance to discover what they might become.We often call this child labour.I think of it differently.I think child labour is the theft of time.

With a population of about 170 million, Bangladesh faces serious challenges in protecting its children, who make up roughly 40–45% of the population. Despite ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and enacting the Children’s Act 2013, children remain highly vulnerable. The 2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) shows that 86% of children aged 1–14 have experienced violent discipline in the past month. Child marriage is also widespread: 47% of women aged 20–24 married before 18, and 13% before 15, while overall 56% of women aged 18–49 was married before turning 18.

Aaron Morris leads the LEGO Group’s family-focused social impact work. Here, Morris highlights how thoughtfully designed community spaces can help families reconnect through play, improving children’s wellbeing and strengthening relationships, while calling for broader societal investment to make these opportunities accessible to all.

“Play is powerful. It is how children process emotions, how they overcome fears and how build a sense of self. In a conflict setting, a safe place to play allows a child to still hold on to part of their childhood. In humanitarian contexts, the chance to play can be a lifeline that helps children to stay positive."

Save the Children is calling for children in Belfast to be protected from violence that erupted in the city last night.

Save the Children said the implementation of the Pact, which takes effect Friday, and EU external action must keep child protection at its core, not border management objectives.

Save the Children, which has a presence in the affected area, and its partners on the ground are preparing to distribute household kits, which include blankets, flashlights and jerry cans for water, as well as hygiene kits, and other essential items to children and families in the coming days.

Save the Children asked this year’s graduating class at a school in Mykolaiv region to bring in photos depicting their memories of primary school. View the full photo story.

For years, Salama, a 14-year-old girl in Zanzibar, missed several days of school every month due to challenges managing her menstrual health. Through the SWASH project, funded by The Big Heart Foundation, she received menstrual hygiene education, reusable sanitary pads, and access to improved gender-sensitive school facilities. Today, Salama attends school with confidence, no longer missing lessons, while thousands of other children across Zanzibar are also benefiting from a safer and more supportive learning environment.

JUBA, 9 June 2026 – Families and children in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei state are surviving on leaves and water lilies as hunger surges towards famine levels in parts of the country following three months of escalating violence, Save the Children said.Many families in Jonglei state have been left without essential and life-saving services since an escalation in violence in March led to the suspension of aid operations in areas and government orders to aid agencies to evacuate, triggering mass displacement.

Save the Children is seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a baseline evaluation for the Women’s Child Care Collectives Project in Zanzibar. This assignment will generate critical evidence on child development, women’s economic empowerment, and access to quality childcare services to inform project implementation and measure progress over time. The study will focus on community-based childcare models that support both early childhood development and women’s livelihoods.

Save the Children seeks a qualified consultant or firm to conduct a baseline evaluation for the Women’s Child Care Collectives Project in Zanzibar. The assignment will establish baseline data on child development, women’s economic empowerment, childcare service quality, and gender norms to inform project implementation and measure progress.The consultancy will involve a mixed-methods study, including data collection, analysis, and stakeholder validation, focusing on community-based childcare centres as integrated service hubs.

Families and children in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei state are surviving on leaves and water lilies as hunger surges towards famine levels in parts of the country following three months of escalating violence.

Renée de Jong (Senior Advocacy Advisor, Save the Children, Geneva Advocacy Office) and Patricia Kramarz (Senior Advocacy Manager, Save the Children Germany) share their perspective on the most important outcomes of the 79th World Health Assembly.

One daily truth we ignore is we treat the environment like WiFi. We only notice it when the network is slow or when it’s gone. But unlike WiFi, we can’t just reset the planet and try again.

Israeli authorities announced earlier today that they are closing border crossings into the Gaza Strip, including Kerem Shalom and Rafah, until further notice.

The country's Department of Education said that about 6,000 schools have been exposed to the earthquake, although this data could change as the full extent of the damage unfolds.

When the Shabelle River broke its banks, Ahmed*, 55 and his family lost their home, their crops, and their only income in a matter of hours. Five months later, unconditional cash assistance from Save the Children helped them survive and begin again. His harvest has returned. The river, still unbanked, has not gone away.

The One Childhood, One Chance Alliance – made up of Save the Children, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), UNICEF, Action Against Hunger, ALIMA, The ELMA Relief Foundation and others – aims to reach at least five million children in fragile contexts with life-saving nutrition treatment and services.

Maryam*, 40, is raising eleven children in Bander Beyla District, Puntland, where two years of declining fish catches left the family in debt and several children out of school. Through a Save the Children project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, she received 90 dollars a month for four months, allowing her to buy food, store water and return children to class. She is now a member of a community early warning committee, helping neighbours prepare for climate shocks and calling for continued support so her children can stay in school.

In some of the world’s toughest environments, from Sudan to Ukraine to Lebanon, football is providing far more than entertainment - it is helping children to stay safe, process trauma and reclaim a sense of childhood.

Save the Children recently joined the launch of the Programme on Protecting and Supporting Children to Thrive in the Digital Environment (2026–2030), an important milestone in the collective effort to create a safer, more inclusive and child-centred digital environment for children in Viet Nam.

After the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, Nazih* and his family moved between temporary settlements while facing ongoing barriers to education. Three years after the earthquakes, during their transition from temporary shelter to urban life, we supported the family in re-establishing a stable and safe living environment with the support of the European Union. Through comprehensive financial, educational, and psychosocial support, alongside child protection services, the children have successfully continued their schooling and are looking ahead with renewed confidence.