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UNICEF saves children’s lives, defends their rights and helps them fulfill their potential. And we never give up.

UNICEF works in the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents - and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines, we support child health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and babies, and the protection of children and adolescents from violence and exploitation. Before, during and after humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF is on the ground, bringing lifesaving help and hope to children and families. Non-political and impartial, we are never neutral when it comes to defending children’s rights and safeguarding their lives and futures.

10/21/2026

“I know my rights and I will work to reach my goals.”

When Duretti* (name changed), 13, received a marriage proposal in Ethiopia, she knew what she wanted: to stay in school, keep learning and build a future of her own.

As a member of her school’s gender club, she had learned about her rights and where to seek help. When the proposal persisted, Duretti spoke up and reported it to her teachers.

But the suitor refused to take no for an answer. He and his friends began following Duretti on her way to school and she eventually had to stop attending classes. Throughout this, her mom stood by her and supported her wish to continue her education.

When Duretti’s teachers, gender club members and classmates noticed she was no longer coming to school, they alerted the school director. He worked with a social worker and the community’s child protection committee to bring her family and the suitor’s family together. Thanks to a UNICEF-supported programme, the community agreed that she was too young to marry and that marriage would put her education at risk. The proposal was withdrawn and Duretti returned to school.

Today, she is in grade six and dreams of becoming a doctor. Duetti’s also back in the gender club, sharing what she has learned with younger girls and encouraging them to stay in school.

When girls know their rights and have the support they need to stand up for them, they can push back against child marriage, access available services and keep building the futures they dream of.

10/20/2026

Amid the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, the role of UNICEF-supported community health workers like Thomas can be life-saving.

Hear from him and UNICEF’s Lucia Elmi how timely and accurate information about the disease and its prevention measures is helping keep children and their families safe.

10/20/2026

At least 12 children, some as young as two, were reportedly killed in two separate incidents in Sudan's West Kordofan and Khartoum states in recent days.

On Saturday, 17 October, at least nine children – five boys and four girls, aged between five and ten – were killed in an attack on a camp for displaced families east of Sanakit, in West Kordofan State.

Two days later, on Monday, 19 October, an armed drone struck a residential area in Khartoum, reportedly killing three children – two girls and one boy aged between two and six – along with their father.

"In West Kordofan, children were killed in a camp their families had fled to for safety. In Khartoum, three young children were reportedly killed with their father in their own neighbourhood, in a city where many families have returned to rebuild their lives," said Angela Kearney, UNICEF Acting Representative in Sudan. "Families in Sudan are doing everything they can to keep their children safe, whether by fleeing or by going home. Neither is protecting them. Every party to this conflict must protect children, wherever they are." UNICEF Sudan

Across Sudan, children continue to face deadly violence after more than three years of conflict. For families who have already endured displacement and immense hardship, even places of shelter offer no guarantee of safety.

UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Children must be protected wherever they are, at all times.

10/19/2026

The recent 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Panama has left more than 8,000 children in need of humanitarian assistance.

Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities is especially difficult.

"The people here have to go relieve themselves over there in the hills,” says Daniela, 12, who’s living in a temporary shelter in Cigua, Tonosí, one of the hardest-hit districts.

UNICEF is working with partners to reach the most affected communities with WASH assistance, as well as learning and psychosocial support.

Watch the video and follow UNICEF Panamá to learn how you can help.

10/19/2026

Child marriage can take away choices that should belong to girls.

It can force them out of school, increase the risk of early pregnancy and limit their opportunities.

Every girl has the right to learn, make decisions and have her voice heard in her community.

. Invest in girls’ rights. Now.

10/18/2026

Playing equals learning, and it's every child’s right.

Sofia, 3, plays at a child development centre in Ecuador, where UNICEF is helping to improve water and sanitation services.

10/17/2026

At just two weeks old, Asante’s life turned upside down.

She lost both of her parents amid the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and contracted the disease herself.

But her story didn’t end there.

Baby Asante survived Ebola and her recovery has been marked by weekly visits to a UNICEF-supported hospital, thanks to her foster mother, Francine.

“Today, seeing her smile makes me feel good,” she says.

10/17/2026

Milena, 4, is back in the classroom thanks to a UNICEF-supported shelter in her kindergarten in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Because of the war, safe shelters like this offer a sense of protection and help children learn and play.

Hear from parents and teachers firsthand.

10/16/2026

A little over one year on since the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds of others injured.

Hear from UNICEF's Ricardo Pires about the staggering human cost of a war that continues to devastate children, taking their lives, their childhoods, and their futures.

Since the ceasefire,
- More than 560,000 children have returned to learning, including in over 200 UNICEF-supported learning centers.
- This year, we’ve provided digital cash assistance to more than 380,000 people.
- UNICEF continues to supply safe water to 1.2 million people, while removing solid waste and delivering medical supplies.

Children in Gaza need to recover, to begin to heal, to return to a normal life.

Learn more: https://unicef.link/4hOyZxN

10/16/2026

“Plastic can be reused or turned into other things, so it shouldn’t just be thrown away,” says Elisa, 10, in Equatorial Guinea. She may only be 10, but she already knows she wants to make the world a better place and walks the streets picking up plastic and helping keep her community clean.

When she grows up, Elisa wants to become a doctor and continue helping people.

Through Capitán Fanplastic, a UNICEF-supported programme, more than 1,300 children and adolescents are learning about the environment and taking action for their future.

, a healthy environment.

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