In times of crisis, and in the world's toughest places, we stand side by side with children.

In 2026, more than 200 million children will need urgent support to survive and recover from crises, such as conflicts, natural disasters, climate emergencies or disease outbreaks.

From the horrifying violence unfolding across Sudan, the occupied Palestinian territory, Ukraine, and Haiti, to the increasingly severe impacts of the climate crisis battering communities on every continent, and the global food crisis that has left 16 million children under five facing severe, potentially fatal malnutrition — whatever the crisis, children are always the most vulnerable.

But they are also incredibly resilient. With the right support, they can overcome even the most unimaginable challenges.

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Speed saves lives. When a disaster strikes, the first hours and days are everything for a child. It can mean the difference between getting lifesaving medical care — or none at all. Between getting clean water or drinking contaminated supplies. Between being reunited with their caregivers or lost in the chaos — or worse, exposed to exploitation and abuse.

That’s why, we’re there fast. We are always among the first organisations to deliver life-saving support to children and their families. We have teams and supplies prepositioned across the globe. And we partner with local organisations wherever possible to ensure our responses are locally driven, helping us build trust and access the hardest-to-reach communities.

What emergency response looks like:

• Immediate lifesaving aid: food, clean water, shelter and essential supplies.
• Cash assistance so families can buy what they need most and rebuild.
• Medical teams treating injured and sick children and strengthening existing facilities.
• Child Friendly Spaces providing safety, routine and play amid chaos.
• Emergency education programmes keeping learning alive.
• Protection for unaccompanied children and family reunification support.
• Psychosocial support to help children recover from trauma.
• Speaking out for and with children when their rights are being threatened.

We also act before crises strike – helping communities prepare for predictable shocks, mitigating risks, and futureproofing against the next disaster.

In 2025 alone, we responded to 113 humanitarian crises across 63 countries and reached over 24 million people, including 13 million children with critical support.

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Children Helping Hands' Emergency Fund is vital to unlocking rapid, life-saving support for children in times of crisis.

This flexible reserve allows us to release funds immediately, so we never have to wait to reach children when every second counts. It helps us:

• Prepare better, respond faster and protect children long after news’ and donors’ agendas have moved on
• Respond to high-profile emergencies that dominate headlines as well as the under-reported emergencies.
• Plug critical funding gaps at a time when resources are more strained than ever.

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In any humanitarian crisis, we put the protection of children at the heart of our response. We know safeguarding risks diversify and multiply in emergencies – children and adults are at significantly higher risk of neglect, abuse, and sexual exploitation, including harm perpetrated by NGO workers.

In a world growing more unstable by the day, children everywhere — even those living far from crisis zones — are feeling the weight of it. Overexposure to distressing news, social media, and adult anxiety can leave children overwhelmed — triggering stress, fear, and a sense of unsafety.