Current emergencies 

The sudden escalation of conflict in Ukraine is having devastating consequences for children, families and vulnerable populations across the country. Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes in freezing temperatures where they are exposed to injury, hunger and terrifying uncertainty as to what their future holds. Our response is providing urgent support for families in evacuation sites and villages under threat. We are distributing emergency items such as blankets, medicine and hygiene kits to those in need. We are working in neighbouring countries, including Poland, Romania and Lithuania to support children and families fleeing Ukraine.

In the first hours after children were evacuated from their homes in the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, we were there to support them through our Child-Friendly Spaces in evacuation and relief centres. When devastating floods claimed lives and destroyed homes across Australia’s east coast in 2022, our Child-Friendly Spaces gave children an opportunity to leave their stress behind and express themselves through play. We work with local authorities to mobilise outreach psychosocial support in communities that have been hit hardest by a crisis. Once the immediate emergency passes, we continue to work with families and schools through our school-based Journey of Hope program, to ensure the most heavily impacted children receive the support they need to process what they’ve experienced.

While COVID-19 impacts us all, some of our nearest neighbours are on the brink of a human disaster. In Fiji, the virus is devasting lives and livelihoods, forcing families to rely on food relief packages. In Papua New Guinea it is overwhelming the poorly resourced health system. And in India and Indonesia children and families continue to suffer as the tragic body count swells. We are supporting local health authorities to speed up vaccine roll outs, providing COVID care kits, food, nutrition, financial and psychological support to help protect the most vulnerable children while our neighbours struggle to cope with this human crisis.

The war in Yemen has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Hunger, disease, and bombs are claiming children’s lives every day. We are treating children suffering from severe malnutrition and providing food to stop others becoming dangerously malnourished. We are supporting hospitals and health facilities in a country where the health system is at breaking point. We are providing psychosocial support to help children cope with what they are going through and setting up spaces where children can feel safe to learn, play and begin to recover.