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UNRWA has been providing education across four generations. For more than 75 years, the Agency has supported more than 2.5 million Palestine Refugees to finish school. Over 66,000 children are being taught in UNRWA’s temporary learning spaces, and nearly 300,000 through digital learning.
As winter storms batter Gaza, displaced children and families sheltering in fragile tents face life-threatening risks from flooding, cold, and disease, even as parents struggle desperately to protect them with almost nothing left.
Education is crucial for children, providing safety during crises and reducing risks of child labor, early marriage, and recruitment by armed groups. It connects kids to essential services like clean water and nutritious meals, while also fostering hope and stability, ultimately leading to economic growth and reducing conflict. However, a recent UNICEF analysis indicates that international aid for education may drop by over US$3 billion by the end of 2026, potentially leaving 6 million more children out of school. This isn't just a financial adjustment; it's a significant threat to a whole generation’s future.
Angela Bassett, award winning actress, highlights that for mothers and newborns in crises, a $5 UNFPA Emergency Birth Kit can mean the difference between life and death.
More than one million people live in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, over half children, and funding cuts are forcing UNICEF to make impossible choices about life-saving services, says Orlando Bloom.
World Children’s Day (20 November) is a global day of action for children and by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Around the world, children are standing up and talking about their lives, their hopes, and their rights. My day, my rights speaks to a simple truth: from the moment the sun rises, children wake up to a world shaped by choices they didn't make. But every child, everywhere, also wakes up with rights, including the right to be protected, to learn, and to have their voice heard. It’s time to listen to children and stand up for the rights of every child.
In the Kyiv region, a preschool education centre that once served over 80 children was severely damaged by a missile on 2 March 2022. The blast impacted on the building’s facade, roof, windows, doors, and heating system, making repairs unaffordable for the community. However, hope arose through the School Repairs in Ukraine project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNOPS. Starting in 2024, UNOPS engineers will oversee extensive renovations, including restoration of the facade and roof, new windows and doors, and interior revitalization, creating a safe, modern space for young learners to thrive once again.
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived a silent creature named polio...
Did you know that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of infant hospitalization worldwide? Each year it claims over 100,000 young lives. In this episode of Science in 5, WHO’s Dr Daniel Feikin shares how new immunization options can protect your baby.
When a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day 2024, more than 590 people lost their lives and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. Eighteen months later, people in this rural part of central Japan are still recovering, and many still live in temporary shelters. But they are helping each other to rebuild their lives. French photographer Vincent Tremeau spent a decade documenting the dreams and hopes of children affected by crises, often travelling with OCHA staff members. In February 2025 he visited schools on the Noto Peninsula and met some of the children. Here are their stories.
Violence against children in armed conflict is rising, with education increasingly under attack. In the past year, attacks on schools surged by 44%, causing deaths, abductions, and trauma among students and teachers. These violations endanger lives and the future of communities. The UN urges nations to ensure safe access to education, invest in resilient systems, and uphold the Safe Schools Declaration. To mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack (9 September), UNESCO and partners host a high-level event in Geneva under the theme “Challenging Narratives, Reshaping Action.”
Severe violations against children have become a deadly new norm. UNICEF highlights the six most serious violations affecting children in armed conflicts.
A Chance to Breathe. Tiny cries, big hope: incubators are giving Somalia’s newborns a fighting chance. Imagine holding your breath, waiting for your newborn’s first cry, and hearing only silence... That was Faduma’s reality in Mogadishu, until a simple incubator gave her baby the breath of life. In this powerful, heart-tugging story from UNFPA, discover how a handful of life-saving machines —incubators, oxygen units, and surgical gear — are transforming hospitals once teetering on the edge of despair. Meet the unstoppable health workers defying the odds, mothers who turn fear into joy, and the miracle of modern care in places where even electricity isn’t a guarantee. It’s a story of survival, love, and why funding matters — because every breath counts.
Over half of parents and pregnant women are exposed to misleading formula marketing that violates international standards and undermines informed feeding choices.