Health

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.

Azeb*, 30, recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy after receiving fertility treatment from the surge team in her hometown of Tigray. This milestone came after nine failed pregnancies due to miscarriages. Azeb had never thought she would be able to conceive and had suffered marginalization and social ostracism due to long-standing misconceptions associated with miscarriage and infertility in her community.Her baby boy, now four months old, is in good health. She brings him to the facility for his regular monthly checkups and immunizations. We met and talked with Azeb during one of her visits to the health center for her child’s follow-up appointment. During the visit, she received advice on how to care for her baby and other health messages. Her baby also received his monthly vaccines, which protect him from infectious diseases.

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.

The mpox epidemic in the DRC is unfolding in a country already plagued by conflict, hunger and disease. Children are nearly four times more likely to die from mpox than adults, making them particularly vulnerable to this outbreak. Read the blog to learn more about the situation, our response, and how you can help.

"Since the start of the rains in June, flooding has added another layer of difficulty to delivering humanitarian aid to people in dire need"

Increased rates of acute malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has put millions at heightened risk of contracting and dying of mpox

Hundreds of thousands of children now displaced from their homes are facing disease, hunger from crop destruction, and disruption to their education

Press release Save the Children mpox spreading South Kivu DRC children

Staff account by a humanitarian worker in Haiti who has been directly affected by the rising violence

As children in Vietnam prepare to head back to school, many face safety risks due to damaged infrastructure after floods. Save the Children.

Save the Children staff account from a physician who has dedicated his medical skills to helping children in Gaza.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the new strain of the deadly mpox virus that is spreading globally

Save the Children press release Gaza school airstrike 100 killed children

Child casualties in Ukraine surge by nearly 40% in the first half of this year, in nearly 900 days of war. Save the Children press release

Massive landslides in India’s southwestern Kerala state have killed more than 385 people. More than 1,580 children displaced. Save the Children.

Extreme weather events forced at least 38,000 people from their homes in Afghanistan in the first six month of this year

Harrowing testimony by a paediatric nurse on her deployment to Gaza to support our medical and humanitarian efforts.

Save the Children press release on hunger and severe acute malnutrition in Sudan

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

Classes across the Philippines were suspended following a powerful typhoon that swept across the country.

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

Floods from heavy rains have killed about 40 people in eastern Afghanistan and about 1,500 children have lost their homes Save the Children said.

South Sudan on the brink of famine as it braces for worst floods in 60 years

An estimated 50,000 babies have been born in Gaza over nine months of conflict, with many women giving birth in traumatic, unhygienic and undignified conditions

Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza and Sudan are at risk of famine. But what does that mean exactly?

Conflict in Sudan is driving hunger to record levels

Devastating new figures reveal Gaza’s child hunger catastrophe

The number of children killed, injured or facing other grave violations in Sudan soared six-fold in 2023 to a record high