Protected

UNICEF is a global leader in child protection – responding in emergencies and working beyond crises to keep children safe. We partner with governments, international organizations, and, most importantly, communities to create lasting change.

Whether reuniting children separated from their parents in Gaza or rescuing those forced into armed groups in Haiti, we work every day to ensure every child is free from violence and exploitation. In just one year, we helped protect 11 million adolescent girls from child marriage and provided essential support to 4.5 million children who experienced violence. At UNICEF, we won’t stop until every child is safe.

Healthy

In just one year, UNICEF provided life-saving treatment to 9.3 million children suffering from severe wasting. But our impact doesn’t stop there.

We ensure millions of families have access to safe water and vaccinations, while our expert teams support pregnant women in refugee camps and mothers in poverty-stricken areas – supporting mothers through their pregnancy and ensuring their babies have a healthy start in life.

Beyond emergencies, we work hand in hand with communities and governments to build strong, resilient health systems – so children can thrive not just today, but every day, both now and into the future. 

Educated

Every year, UNICEF helps over 37 million children access education – no matter where they are or the challenges they face. From delivering solar-powered tablets to children in Sudan, to setting up classrooms in underground bomb shelters in Ukraine, we make learning possible even in the toughest conditions.

In places where education is restricted, our expertise ensures children can keep learning. And in many emergencies, we are the largest provider of educational support, stepping in when no one else can.

Because every child, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to learn and deserves an education.

A lifetime of safe water. 

In Kamana village, Afghanistan, clean water was scarce, and children like 11-year-old Asiya, pictured above, had to rely on unsafe water from a distant river.

But with UNICEF’s support, a solar-powered water system was installed in 2024, bringing safe water directly to the community.

This sustainable solution eliminated the need for donkeys to carry water, empowering the community to maintain the system with local involvement.

UNICEF also trains locals like Abdul, a community leader, to manage and repair the system, ensuring long-term sustainability. Over 633,000 people have benefiting from 157 similar, climate-friendly systems installed by UNICEF across Afghanistan in 2024, providing a reliable source of water for generations to come.

Eradicating deadly diseases. 

UNICEF helps vaccinate over 400 million children globally against polio every year. By reaching even those children who live in remote and conflict-affected areas, we have helped almost eradicate the deadly viral disease that was once the leading cause of paralysis among children. Since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has reduced by 99 per cent.

And our work will not stop. For over three years in Ukraine, since the full-scale war began in 2022, UNICEF has strengthened cold-chain infrastructure to ensure children continue receiving polio vaccinations.

And in Gaza, after a child was paralysed by polio in 2024 – the first confirmed case of the deadly disease there in 25 years – we launched a massive vaccination campaign, pictured above. UNICEF was able to help coordinate the huge logistical challenge of such a project amid a deadly war, and successfully reached over 500,000 children with vaccinations.