Children forced into armed conflict

Children are enduring unimaginable horrors during the long conflict. Cases of grave violations against children, including rape, have surged, surpassing anything seen in recent years.

Meanwhile, relentless bombardment has left thousands injured, some of them just babies and toddlers.

Amid the chaos, hundreds of children have been separated from their parents, leaving them vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups. Children as young as 12 are being forced into combat.

UNICEF is working urgently to protect these children: identifying and reuniting families, placing unaccompanied children in foster care, and ensuring they receive critical medical and psychological support. Thanks to our supporters, UNICEF also provides medical supplies to overwhelmed hospitals and has helped secure the release of children from armed groups.

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Hope amid health crisis

In overcrowded displacement camps, children are battling not just war, but disease. Lacking adequate shelter, clean water, and sanitation, they are highly vulnerable to outbreaks of cholera, measles, and mpox. Tens of thousands of cholera cases were detected in 2024. And when mpox centres were abandoned due to the conflict, infected patients were forced to leave, increasing the transmission risk across the country.

UNICEF is urgently combating these deadly threats. Disease can be spread by unsafe water and due to barriers preventing good hygiene. So UNICEF has established chlorination points, delivered thousands of litres of fuel to keep water pumping stations operating, and continually supplies water to health centres. Vulnerable families have received essential hygiene kits, and UNICEF is actively promoting infection prevention through education, sanitation improvements, and vaccination support.

By providing clean water, sanitation, and medical aid, UNICEF is not only fighting the immediate health emergency but also helping communities build resilience against future outbreaks.

Fighting child hunger

Malnutrition is silently devastating the lives of children. In the first half of 2024 alone, UNICEF screened 129,090 children suffering from severe wasting – all of whom were immediately admitted for treatment.

Every year, millions of children are screened, and thousands receive life-saving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

In North Kivu, two-year-old Elenga was once among those at risk. His mother, Rebecca, initially sought traditional remedies when his belly and feet swelled, unaware that malnutrition was the cause. But at a UNICEF-supported health centre, he received the urgent care he needed.

Through UNICEF’s nutrition training, Rebecca learned how to grow her own vegetables, helping to provide both nutritious food and income for her family.

By empowering mothers, providing treatment, and ensuring access to nutritious food, UNICEF is tackling malnutrition at its root.

Restoring dreams

War and natural disasters don’t just steal children’s homes – they disrupt their dreams for the future. Conflict and floods have forced thousands from their schools, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

UNICEF is working to ensure these children don’t lose their right to learn. By setting up and equipping hundreds of temporary learning spaces, UNICEF has provided education to over 100,000 displaced children in 2024 alone.

Teachers have been trained in child protection and mental health support, while hygiene kits have helped adolescent girls stay in school.

For Hélène, who was displaced by conflict, returning to school was her greatest wish. Thanks to a UNICEF temporary learning space, she can still pursue her dreams.

“My dream is to become an engineer and build schools so that, like me, every child has access to education,” she said.