Every day, UNICEF workers brave war zones, treacherous terrain, disasters and disease to make the world safe for kids. UNICEF helps give children the childhood they deserve.Every day, UNICEF workers brave war zones, treacherous terrain, disasters and disease to give kids the childhood they deserve

Kids need UNICEF now more than ever:

  • ​​Hundreds of millions of children live in conflict zones and other fragile settings where their rights to protection are seriously threatened.
  • Over 1 billion children experience violence — and one out of three adolescent girls worldwide experience physical, emotional or sexual violence — every year; in schools, one in two students are subjected to peer-to-peer violence.
  • Already fragile social service and justice systems were further strained during the COVID-19 pandemic; gender-based violence increased and inequalities deepened.
  • Rising poverty has forced millions of girls to drop out of school, increasing their risks of child marriage and other forms of exploitation.
  • Globally, over 150 million children are in child labor — almost half of them exposed to hazardous work.
  • One in four children under age 5 have never had their births recorded, and so are likely excluded from public services.
  • The pandemic unleashed a global mental health emergency and exposed more children to risks of domestic violence and neglect.
  • An estimated 43 percent of all children — nearly 350 million — who are below primary-school age live without child care.
 

Meet Le Thi Phiên, a social worker in Cao Lanh, Vietnam, trained by UNICEF to prevent and respond to violence against children. In Vietnam, 68 percent of children experience violent punishment at home. With UNICEF’s support, social workers like Le Thi have the power to restore their sense of safety.

Meet Le Thi Phiên, a social worker in Vietnam, where 68 percent of children experience violent punishment at home. With UNICEF’s training and support, social workers like Le Thi have the power to restore their sense of safety.

Why donate to UNICEF? It's a smart way to make your money go further for children:UNICEF makes your online donations go further for children

  • When disaster strikes, UNICEF knows what kids need: Tens of millions of children, adolescents and caregivers are reached every year with community-based mental health and psychosocial support.
  • UNICEF finds unique solutions to tough problems: For children who are recruited into armed forces or militant groups, UNICEF helps secure their release and provides care, services and help reintegrating with their families and communities.
  • UNICEF looks out for the most vulnerable: UNICEF provides prevention and survivor assistance to children endangered by landmines and other explosive weapons.
  • UNICEF protects children’s rights to legal status: UNICEF provides mental health and psychosocial support, child-friendly legal aid and alternatives to detention for millions of children on the move.
  • UNICEF keeps families together: Children who become separated from their parents or caregivers by crisis or war are reunited with their families or placed them in supportive alternative-care settings with UNICEF's help.
  • UNICEF gets results: Children with disabilities who experience violence receive health and social services along with legal or judicial support ​​through UNICEF programs in 55 countries.
  • UNICEF stands up for vulnerable girls and women: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a violent practice that can cause serious health problems and life-long pain; UNICEF co-leads two of the largest joint programs with the UNFPA aiming to eliminate FGM and end child marriage.
  • UNICEF provides prevention and survivor assistance to children threatened by landmines and other explosive weapons.
  • Millions of parents and caregivers across 87 countries take advantage of UNICEF-supported parenting programs.
  • When children are separated from their parents by crisis or war, UNICEF reunites them with their families or finds them loving, supportive homes.
  • UNICEF makes sure girls and boys who experience violence receive health and social services along with legal or judicial support.
  • UNICEF helps protect and support girls who are threatened by female genital mutilation and early marriage.

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Meet the UNICEF workers helping kids around the world

We won't stop until we bring good health to every child
We won't stop until every child has clean water
We won't stop until we help every child learn
We won't stop until we reach every child in crisis
We won't stop until we treat every malnourished child
We won't stop until we protect every child
We won't stop until every child has a voice