Saving children's lives is at the heart of what we do – it's the reason we exist. We provide essential healthcare and medical assistance to children and their families to end preventable child deaths and give them a healthy start in life.
What we're doing:
- We train health workers, equip health centres and provide support and advice to help end newborn and maternal deaths.
- We provide life-saving food and nutrition to children suffering from life-threatening hunger.
- We deliver life-saving vaccines and work to prevent, diagnose and treat major childhood killers, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria.
- We provide clean, safe water and work with families to improve hygiene practices that help reduce the spread of disease.
- We provide psychosocial support to children who have lived through traumatic events, such as conflict and abuse.
- When disaster strikes, our Emergency Health Unit of nurses, doctors, logisticians and engineers can deploy within 24 hours to save children's lives.
EDUCATION
Education has the power to transform children's futures – but millions of kids have never even seen the inside of a classroom. Together with our supporters, we can help make sure every single boy and girl gets the chance to learn – and the power to change their own world, for good.
What we're doing:
- We train teachers to use more effective practices that better engage their students.
- In Australia and around the world, we run early education programs to make sure that when children reach school, they have the foundation they need to learn.
- In emergencies, we set up temporary learning spaces so conflict and disaster do not stop children from getting the education they need to build a bright future.
PROTECTION
We want all children to be safe – that's why we do whatever it takes to protect children from harm. No child should ever have to live with abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence – or deal with these impacts through their adult years.
What we're doing:
- We provide safe refuges for children and families who've experienced abuse and neglect. This includes children who've experienced family violence, refugees, migrants and trafficked children.
- We educate and support families, teachers, parents and young people to help strengthen families and protect children from abuse and violence.
- We campaign to change laws, policies and systems so they better protect children and young people.
- In emergencies, we set up safe spaces to help children who have experienced traumatic events. We reunite families separated by war or disaster. And we help protect children who are at risk of recruitment into armed groups.
EMERGENCIES
When disaster strikes every minute counts, because the faster we respond, the more lives we save. We are there for children and their families when earthquakes shatter communities. When cyclones tear through villages. When conflict forces families to flee their homes in search of safety. We do whatever it takes to reach children with life-saving aid.
What we're doing:
- We are there before, during and after emergencies. We help communities prepare so they are more resilient to risks, we get life-saving aid to the children and families within 72 hours of a disaster, and we support families to rebuild their lives.
- We provide food and help severely malnourished children get back to a safe weight.
- We get clean water to those in urgent need and make sure they don't have to drink contaminated water that could spread disease.
- We provide rapid, life-saving healthcare including emergency operations, treatment for killer diseases such as cholera and malaria, and vital vaccinations.
- We reunite children with their relatives when families have been torn apart during conflict or disasters.
- We help families set up temporary shelters when their homes have been destroyed.
- We set up safe spaces for children so they have somewhere to play, learn and get emotional support to help them cope with what they've been through.
