West and Central Africa

  This training package is designed to equip stakeholders in social and behavioral change related to harmful practices, specifically child marriage and female genital mutilation, with the necessary skills and tools for developing, implementing, and evaluating programmes aimed at changing social norms. The package's content draws inspiration from…

Safe water is essential to life itself. Proper sanitation and hygiene prevent the spread of disease and infection, and ensure human dignity. Without these essential services, the most basic needs of children’s lives are unmet. Globally, 600 million children still lack safely managed drinking water, 1.1 billion lack safely managed sanitation and…

Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance – twice as many as in 2020 – largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as hostilities between armed groups and national security forces spill across borders. 'Extreme Jeopardy' looks at…, Benin. Two brothers sit outside their home in Tanguieta, northern Benin. Two brothers sit outside their home in Tanguieta, northern Benin., What’s happening in the central Sahel? , Caught between armed groups, national security operations and intercommunal violence children are finding themselves directly targeted by non-state armed groups who operate across large areas of the region. 2022 was a particularly violent year for children in the central Sahel, almost certainly the deadliest since armed conflict broke out in…, The crisis is marked by attacks on infrastructure…, Burkina Faso. A girl drinks water from a tap at a playground in Burkina Faso. A girl drinks water from a tap at a playground in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, attacks include sabotaging water networks – cutting power lines and destroying generators or electrical panels at pumping stations that feed urban water supply systems – and damaging manual…, …and education, Niger. A boy writes on a chalkboard in Niger. A boy writes on a chalkboard in Niger. Some armed groups that oppose state-administered education burn and loot schools, and threaten, abduct or kill teachers. By 2022, more than 8,300 schools had shut down across the central Sahel because they were directly targeted, teachers had fled, or because…, A changing climate is layering one crisis on top of another, Côte d'Ivoire. Women and children collect water in Tougbo, in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. Women and children collect water in Tougbo, in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. The central Sahel is one of the most climate-affected and water-scarce regions on the planet. Temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average. Water tables have…, It’s time to turn the page, Burkina Faso. A child waves at site for internally displaced persons. A child waves at a site for internally displaced children and families in Barsalogho, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. UNICEF urges governments across the central Sahel and affected coastal countries, along with technical and financial partners, to prioritize…, How UNICEF is helping, Burkina Faso. A boy walks into a school in Kaya, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. A boy walks into a school in Kaya, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. UNICEF has a large operational footprint in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with almost 600 staff members working across the three national offices and 12 sub-offices, including…, Ten million children in the central Sahel need humanitarian assistance amid spiralling conflict and punishing climate. U NIC EF/ UN 05 381 08 /Ke ta EXTREME JEOPARDY UNICEF | CHILD ALERT | March 2023 BeninGhana TogoCte dIvoire BurkinaFaso NigerMali EXTREME JEOPARDY: TEN MILLION CHILDREN IN THE CENTRAL SAHEL NEED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AMID…

Attacks on children and violence across the Central Sahel continue to surge and more than 4.3 million children are now in need of humanitarian assistance. This advocacy brief highlights the impact of the insecurity on children and their families, advocating for attacks and threats to stop, and for critical human and financial resources needed to…, The Sahel has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa. But the surge in armed violence across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is having a devastating impact on children’s survival, education, protection and development.  The sharp increase in armed attacks on communities, schools, health centres and other public institutions and…, Central Sahel crisis at a glance, Map of Central Sahel What’s happening in the Central Sahel? Over the past two years, armed groups have intensified attacks in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. As of November 2019, 1.2 million people were displaced, more than half of them children. This represents a two-fold increase in the number of people displaced by insecurity and armed…, Education under fire, Education was already a major challenge across the affected countries. But across the Central Sahel, attacks and threats on schools and against teachers and students have become more common, worsening access to education. Between April 2017 and December 2019, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger witnessed a six-fold increase in school closures due to…, A protection crisis, Thousands of schools and other social services structures have been closed or are not functioning, leaving tens of thousands of children with little support and increasing their risk of being recruited by armed groups. Those who have been forcibly displaced are at greater risk of being separated from their caregivers and are more likely to face…, Voices from the region, Mali. A woman and daughter walk through the remains of their village. UNICEF/UN0296566/Keïta UNICEF/UNI211133/Haro UNICEF/UNI211133/Haro, Vital social services disrupted, Access to health care, nutritious foods, safe drinking water and other social services has been seriously compromised, impacting all aspects of children’s lives – their safety, health and wellbeing. Displaced children and their families are being hosted in communities that had limited access to social services even before the current crisis, which…, How is UNICEF helping?, Mali. Dr. Macoura Oulare, Chief of Child Survival Development at UNICEF Mali, plays with a child who has been receiving micronutrient powders. Dr. Macoura Oulare, Chief of Child Survival Development at UNICEF Mali, plays with a child who has been receiving micronutrient powders. UNICEF is on the ground in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, working with…, Help UNICEF meet the needs of children in the Central Sahel, January 2020, ACentral Sahel Advocacy BriefUNICEF January 2020January 2020 Central SahelAdvocacy Brief The surge in armed violence across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is having a devastating impact on childrens survival, education, protection and development. The Sahel, a region of immense potential, has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa,…

Child Alert is a briefing series that presents the core challenges for children in a given crisis location at a given time. This issue examines attacks on children’s right to education in West and Central Africa, and provides examples of efforts to protect children and their learning opportunities in conflict-affected parts of the region. As of…, August 2019, Education Under Threat in West and Central Africa UNICEF CHILD ALERT August 2019 UNICEF CHILD ALERT AUGUST 2019 Education Under Threat: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso UNICEF CHILD ALERT August 2019 !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D!D! D !D !D !D !D !D!D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D!D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D !D!D !D !D Internal displaced…

The West and Central Africa region has one of the world’s highest HIV burdens among children and adolescents, second only to that of Eastern and Southern Africa. Yet, due to its lower HIV prevalence rate, the epidemic has received less attention than in other regions. This report takes stock of the progress and shortfalls in the HIV response in…, Get the latest data, research and analysis on the issues affecting children around the world., Browse all UNICEF publications, Discover our latest reports and explore by topic. November 2017, 1 Step Up the Pace: Towards an AIDS-free generation in West and Central Africa Throughout this report, the term children applies to all children below the age of 18 years, including adolescents, as defined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United Nations defines adolescents as persons aged 1019 years, and young people as persons…