The Greatest Need
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The Greatest Need
Make a tax-deductible donation before March 31st 2026, then claim a third back in your tax rebate to grow the power of your donation.
Your support can make all the difference. Whether it's helping protect children and families in Gaza, providing therapeutic food to kids facing a hunger crisis in Sudan or reaching families displaced by natural disasters elsewhere in the world - you can help children right now.
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FAQs
Our changing landscape
In a world where current climate, conflict, and environmental emergencies have a lasting impact and new crises are constantly emerging - there will always be major challenges for supply chains that have been weakened by the pandemic, shipping delays, rising inflation, and soaring energy prices.
For over 78 years, we've strengthened our emergency preparedness through developing our global partner network and working closely with the communities we help. Our response is only as effective as our preparation.
We’ve got eyes on the ground, expert minds strengthening our systems, many hands stockpiling supply hubs around the globe, and your donations helping us to be flexible enough to adjust to whatever crisis unfolds – making our response quick and effective, so there's a future for every child.
When a disaster strikes, every moment matters for vulnerable kids. We’re there in under 48 hours, responding to emergencies with life-saving supplies.
We are the world's largest children's charity. Our presence in 192 countries affords us a greater understanding of the country, culture, needs and local partners - keeping us ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape and ensuring essential supplies are delivered quickly as possible.
Our team respond to over
300 emergencies every year.
Reaching kids and families
in over 192 countries.
With life-saving supplies
anywhere in 48 hours.
Our focus from 2023 – 2026
Making sure children grow up healthy & strong by accessing good nutrition, quality healthcare and nurturing mental health services.
In 2025 alone, we treated 2.8 million children for severe acute malnutrition, provided clean drinking water for 21.1 million people and helped 6.9 million children access formal and informal education, including early learning. Every year we help vaccinate nearly half of the world's children, while also being the largest supplier of therapeutic food used to treat malnutrition.
We respond immediately to emergencies to make sure kids aren't cut off from crucial services that support their health, growth and happiness.
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All around the world
See how your support is helping kids right now AND the long-term!
Safe, clean drinking water - sanitation & hygiene – continuous and uplifting education – life-saving vaccines – nutritious foods – and quality healthcare.
Donors have helped UNICEF provide each of these, and so much more, despite conflict and food insecurity in Sudan, climate and refugee crises in Bangladesh, the fighting in Ukraine and Gaza, and humanitarian emergency in Somalia.
SUDAN
1,000 days of war.
The conflict in the Sudan is a children’s crisis - more than 15 million children urgently need humanitarian assistance, including hundreds of thousands at risk of severe malnutrition. Almost 10 million people have fled their homes, making Sudan the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
Children in Sudan deserve the dignity of having a safe place to sleep, food to eat, medicine for the sick, and to realise a good, decent life for themselves and their families. We're sounding the alarm, because there is a chance to do something.
With your help we can support children in Sudan with the supplies and services they need.
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Bangladesh
We’re making sure there’s a future for every child by being ready for when any emergency strikes.
Bangladesh faces a ‘double emergency’ of a protracted refugee crisis and intensifying climate-driven disasters. An estimated 4.4 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in the world’s largest refugee settlement.
As recently as 2024, Bangladesh experienced it's worst flooding in three decades. 5.8 million people were impacted, including more than 2 million children. Families were left without the essentials such as food, shelter, clean water and functional latrines. UNICEF jumped into action to provide water purification tablets, hygiene kits and jerry-cans, to support 842,482 people. Meanwhile, 400 School-in-a-Box kits and 100 Early Childhood Development (ECD) kits were delivered to schools, supporting continued education for more than 82,000 kids.
Every second, every minute, every hour counts. The speed of our response can make all the difference.
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Ukraine
8-year-old Yehor and his family were left without water in their home after shelling and fighting caused power blackouts for over 60,000 people in Kherson, Ukraine.
We've been in Ukraine for over 25 years, meaning we could rapidly truck in water and can stay on to see through the massive repairs needed to get power & water back to families desperately in need throughout the region, for a future with stable, sustainable water.
Since the war escalated in 2022, UNICEF has been able to provide access to safe water to more than 6.4 million people across Ukraine, including nearly one million children.Water is the basis of all life on earth - and something all children have a right to!
GAZA
Gaza is not a safe place for kids.
Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, 21,289 children have reportedly been killed, and almost 2 million people have been displaced. Despite the fragile ceasefire, ongoing humanitarian challenges remain. UNICEF is getting supplies into Gaza, and will continue to do so at every opportunity.
Since the ceasefire on 10th October 2025, we've been supporting 203 nutrition centres, we've delivered 957,731 thermal blankets and 291,896 winter clothing kits, and we're reaching 1.6 million people each day with clean water.
However, as the situation in Gaza remains precarious, children still urgently need clean water, food, medical supplies and life-saving vaccines.
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SOMALIA
The climate crisis isn't just going to affect the future of our tamariki, it's an era they're living right now.
The children in Somalia are feeling the full force of the climate crisis. Not only are they at risk of severe droughts but also intense flooding with over 3.7 million kids in need of humanitarian assistance.
Children and their families face constant barriers to accessing sustainable water and sanitation, heightening their risk for water borne diseases. Thanks to donors, we were ready for the next crisis and were able to deliver 1.4 million virals of oral cholera vaccine to help protect vulnerable children from the current cholera outbreak.
Getting supplies
from A to B!
By foot, boat, truck, plane or drone. No matter the distance, conflict or disaster. We'll always deliver life-saving support when kids need it most. 2025 was no exception. At the centre of it all are our supply hubs around the world! Ready to ship our life-saving pre-positioned supplies at a moment’s notice in under 48 hours anywhere.
Here’s just a glimpse of our impact, reach and readiness for when the next emergency strikes.
The climate crisis
Every child on the planet is already affected by climate change. Though roughly HALF the world's kids are vulnerable to the severe impacts caused by climate change, including natural disasters. That's over 1 BILLION children whose well-being, health and development is under threat.
Natural disasters cut children off from schooling, shelter, nutrition, health care, and one of the biggest necessities during an emergency, safe water & sanitation. With the increase of storms and rising sea levels - water and sanitation facilities are often destroyed, disease spreads and the salt content of groundwater increases that many communities rely on for their drinking water.
We're constantly strengthening our disaster responses to be more climate resilient and innovative, to creating long-term change for kids and making sure your donations are going the distance!
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Vanuatu is one of many small island clusters vulnerable to increasing cyclones with fragile water sources. Donors help us deliver huge shipments of hygiene kits, soap, water tanks, and water purification tablets. They also help us invest in long-lasting change.
By working with partners and communities on the ground, we've built a process to identify, prioritise and lessen risks to Vanuatu's water supply.
Rehabilitating or replacing water supply systems has strengthened the resilience in some of the islands’ most vulnerable communities.
UNICEF direct support resulted in 5.4 million people using climate-resilient water systems and 3.2 million using climate-resilient sanitation facilities.
Responding to emergencies isn't a quick fix. We’re there to tackle the root cause of the problems affecting kids, and build lasting and innovative solutions to protect them down the line.
Our job’s not done until there’s a future for every child!
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Creating opportunities and fostering dreams through continuous and quality education.
We helped almost 26 million out-of-school children access education in 2024, including 3.7 million children on the move and 9 million kids in humanitarian settings.
When a crisis strikes you can’t postpone a child’s education. There is no pause button, only a future that could be lost forever.
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Keeping children safe with fair and inclusive protection programmes.
We scaled up our parenting support programmes to prevent violence, exploitation and harmful practises, reaching almost 18.5 million parents in 2024, up from 11.8 million in 2022.
We're committed to preventing and responding to child abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence during emergencies, when children are most vulnerable.
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Providing sustainable, long-lasting, and clean; water sources, sanitation facilities, and environments for all children.
In 2024, UNICEF’s direct support enabled 18 million people to gain access to at least basic sanitation service, 33.3 million to access safe water, and 21 million to access basic hand hygiene services, while 8,677 schools and 3,827 health care facilities were provided with basic WASH services.
During conflict and disaster, water facilities are often damaged or destroyed and water sources contaminated. Donors help us deliver safe water and sanitation while also strengthening and building resilient systems and services, so there’s a future for every child.
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Helping every child live a life free from poverty and reach their full potential.
During 2024, UNICEF significantly scaled up the use of humanitarian cash transfers. Overall, UNICEF reached an estimated 3.5 million families, covering just over 15 million children across 48 countries, disbursing a total of $689 million directly to affected households.
By giving cash to families who need help in emergencies, they have the choice to spend their money on what they need based on their own personal situations. Whether that be for food, housing, education, or other essential items.
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