Save the Children UK

Sudan is now the largest child displacement crisis in the world, yet it remains one of the most overlooked. 5 million children have been forced from their homes. 17 million children require humanitarian assistance. Nearly half of Sudan’s children have lost between 15 and 18 months of schooling. Let's show the UK Government how much we care about Sudan. It’s time for them to do everything it can to protect Sudanese children. They must: - Pressure warring parties - and their international backers - to end the violence - Prioritise protecting children in Sudan - Hold those who harm children accountable Our email template takes less than a minute to send to your MP but can pressure them to stand up for children’s rights. Email your MP: bit.ly/3NFMAv7

The Middle East conflict is taking a devastating toll on children. Forced to flee from their homes, they clutch toys and schoolbags, trying to hold onto small comforts as their world is uprooted. Schools have become shelters for displaced families, and playgrounds storage for humanitarian aid. No child should have to live through this. This war must stop, and children’s futures must be protected.

Thanks to the @RestIsPolitics for pointing out that the UK Government is taking aid spending down to its lowest level on record. We share @RoryStewartUK's and @campbellclaret's concerns about this. The post-war, rules-based international system is being rapidly undermined. Following a turbulent year of global politics, Britain faces a choice. We can continue retreating or we can help shape something better. Cutting aid was wrong. At precisely the moment children need more support, this decision will hit the most vulnerable the hardest. But that doesn’t mean the system was right. A system that is less top-down, more responsive to the needs of countries and people, and more sustainable is needed now more than ever, and protecting children must remain non-negotiable. Children’s lives depend on it. So does Britain’s place in the world.

The UK has lagged when it comes to helping children. It has had one of the largest increases in child poverty compared to countries of a similar sized economy in the past decade and an unacceptable number of children live in relative income poverty. What we’re seeing from the UK Government is a good first step to help children thrive by scrapping the two-child limit to benefits. This will have a positive impact on young people as they enter adulthood with better health outcomes, education attainment and future job prospects. Long-term though we need sustained action that drives down child poverty for good.

It's been reported that an Israeli court ruled Walid Ahmad, a Palestinian child who died while detained in an Israeli prison, was 'likely starved'. He was held for six months without charge. Sadly, such ill-treatment is not unusual. It is unconscionable that any child should be treated this way. ❗ Content warning: child sexual violence and abuse Palestinian children are the only children in the world to experience systematic prosecution in military courts. It’s an abusive, inhumane prosecution system, where children are being physically, emotionally and sexually abused, humiliated and starved in Israeli military detention. The UK Government should publicly call for the release of all Palestinian children arbitrarily detained and call for an end to Israeli military authorities arresting, detaining and prosecuting children.

If we want high-quality early education and childcare, we need to value the people delivering it. We support calls for a ten-year workforce strategy set out in this new Model for Change from @coalitionedcare and @UniversityLeeds. Find out more 👇earlyeducationchildcare.org/model-for-chan…

The Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and local councils in England mark a pivotal moment in childhoods as politicians make key decisions that affect their lives. We know children don’t always feel listened to by those in power. This needs to change.

In England, local elections are being held for 5,014 council seats across 136 of England’s 317 councils on Thursday 7 May 2026. Councils have a general duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area, control over parks and play areas, school transport and safe travel plans. Most Cabinet executives will have a post holder responsible for children, young people and education.

On May 7th, elections will be taking place for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and local councils in England. This will mark a pivotal moment in 5 million childhoods as politicians make key decisions that affect their lives. Here's why they are important... 🧵

As families across Sudan marked the end of Ramadan, at least 64 people, including 13 children, were reportedly killed when a drone strike hit a major hospital in el-Daein, the capital of East Darfur state. Eid al-Fitr should be a day of joy, celebration and spending time with loved ones. Instead, children in Sudan are being killed in places where they should be safe. Since the conflict started almost three years ago, it's been reported that drones have been used in over 1,000 attacks, killing civilians including children. Children are not only caught in the crossfire but in many cases, they are directly targeted or suffer the long-term consequences of conflict. They should not be paying the price for a conflict they did not create. The UK Government must do everything it can to ensure the perpetrators of these horrific crimes are held to account, and push for an immediate end to the violence. Please sign our petition here: bit.ly/49uLQ2H

Yesterday, the UK Government announced how they planned to spend the overseas aid budget, which they slashed last year. At precisely the moment children need more support, these decisions will hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Even with a constrained budget, protecting children must remain non-negotiable. We spoke with Claire Sanford, Director of Conflict and Humanitarian at Save the Children, about what UK aid cuts will mean for children and families on the ground and why we must stand shoulder to shoulder with parents across the world. Watch the full interview here: bit.ly/3PuDZf5

"Our staff are telling us the children are sleeping in cars and on the side of roads... they're traumatised and extremely vulnerable to air strikes." Head of conflict and humanitarian advocacy at @savechildrenuk @msominogue tells @BarbaraGSerra that children in Lebanon need urgent support as Israel intensifies its offensive. The conflict has so far displaced one million people across the country. 🌍 trib.al/zff6Z7W

"It's genuinely hard to overstate just how severe the crisis is there." Head of conflict and humanitarian advocacy at @savechildrenuk @msominogue says "children continue to experience extreme violence" in Sudan, and calls the scale of humanitarian need in the country "unimaginable". @BarbaraGSerra | 🌍 trib.al/zff6Z7W #Sudan

The escalating conflict in the Middle East and wider region is having grave ripple effects for children far beyond there. The blockage in the Strait of Hormuz means Save the Children's lifesaving medical aid intended for 410,000 children and their families in Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan is currently stuck in the Middle East. We are doing what we can to find reroute the aid, but it's costly. Disruptions to key air, sea and land routes mean shipping costs are expected to skyrocket by about 10 to 50% as a result of the fuel price increases. This is coming at a time when governments are cutting vital foreign aid budgets, and families in some of the world’s most fragile places risk losing the support they depend on. We are urgently calling for an immediate end to the violence and for all parties to facilitate the unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to civilians in need. There should be no barriers to life-saving supplies.

The Government has a responsibility to protect children from the damage of UK aid cuts by prioritising their needs, rights, and futures in every funding decision. At precisely the moment children need more support, these decisions will hit the most vulnerable the hardest. Even with a constrained budget, protecting children must remain non-negotiable. The UK can’t expect countries to stand on their own two feet when they are having the rug pulled from under them.

The Foreign Secretary @YvetteCooperMP has today announced how the UK Government plans to spend the overseas aid budget, which they slashed last year. While we welcome the focus on innovation and move to work more in partnership with countries, the Government's efforts to frame this as a positive story will ring hollow for all the children around the world losing access to lifesaving healthcare, education and protection.

@UN We're being forced to close vital programmes at a time when children need them more than ever. The aid system needs to be updated as global challenges evolve, but cuts cannot be made without considering children for whom aid programmes are a lifeline. 2/2

NEW: Most of the 4.9 million children who died in 2024 could have been saved, according to a new @UN report. This analysis confirms what we’re already seeing- cuts to aid are not just budget decisions, they are death sentences for children. 1/2 theguardian.com/global-develop…