Humanitarian action and emergencies

Noor is only 22 years old, but she has already experienced heartbreaking losses. The first time was due to complications during pregnancy. The second was amid devastating flooding in 2022 that destroyed her home in Sindh Province. Just days after giving birth at home, Noor was forced to evacuate with other members of the community in a makeshift…, Muhammad Hassan teaches at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Mairpurkhas, Sindh Province., UNICEF/UN0847805/Haro Pakistan. Muhammad Hasnain, 9, stands outside a UNICEF temporary learning centre in Rajanpur District, Punjab. Pakistan climate story, Muhammad Hasnain, 9, stands outside a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Rajanpur District, Punjab., UNICEF/UN0847820/Haro Pakistan. Children take part in activities at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Rajanpur District. Pakistan climate story, Children take part in activities at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Rajanpur District., UNICEF/UN0847822/Haro Pakistan. Children study at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Mairpur Khas, Sindh Province. Pakistan climate story, Children study at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Mairpur Khas, Sindh Province, Pakistan., UNICEF/UN0847794/Haro Pakistan. Muhammad Hassan teaches at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Mairpurkhas, Sindh Province. Pakistan. Muhammad Hasnain, 9, stands outside a UNICEF temporary learning centre in Rajanpur District, Punjab. Pakistan. Children take part in activities at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre in Rajanpur…, Zahida, chief of UNICEF’s Hyderabad field office, talks with children in Shaheed Benazirabad District, Sindh Province., UNICEF/UN0847807/Haro Pakistan. Children are pictured at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre for children affected by the 2022 floods in Sindh Province. Pakistan climate story, Children are pictured at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre for children affected by the 2022 floods in Sindh Province., UNICEF/UN0847816/Haro Pakistan. Children draw at a UNICEF-supported safe space for children in Umerkot District, Sindh Province. Pakistan climate story, Children draw at a UNICEF-supported safe space for children in Umerkot District, Sindh Province., UNICEF/UN0847793/Haro Pakistan. Zahida, chief of UNICEF’s Hyderabad field office, talks with children in Shaheed Benazirabad District, Nawabshah, Sindh Province. Pakistan. Children are pictured at a UNICEF-supported temporary learning centre for children affected by the 2022 floods in Sindh Province. Pakistan. Children draw at a UNICEF-supported…

When Camsus Joseph became pregnant, she decided to leave Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Joseph moved back to her home village, Toirac, in the southwest of the country. For her, the instability and violence in Port-au-Prince was overwhelming. Joseph also wanted to be closer to her family. For the time being her husband, Claudy Delice, stayed…, Serving a community recovering from an earthquake, This region continues to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake and a longstanding lack of infrastructure. That presents significant challenges when it comes to providing primary health care services to children like Anne-Djounaïka.   A street scene in the centre of Les Cayes, a small city in the south of Haiti that was badly impacted by the…, Challenging circumstances in Haiti's capital, Back in Port-au-Prince, health workers are faced with difficult circumstances. The aftermath of natural disasters, political instability, violent protests over price hikes, fuel shortages and continued clashes between armed groups have all served to increase the challenges.   Motorcyclists and other drivers crowd around a gas pump at a station in…

When the war in Ukraine broke out, Kateryna, a mother of two, quickly packed up some essentials – diapers, clothes – and left the family home in the village of Kryukivshchyna, close to Kyiv. She didn’t take much. She didn’t think she needed to. “We left everything, because it didn’t feel like we were leaving home. I never imagined that we wouldn’t…, Building a new life in Poland and accessing health services, Poland has welcomed more Ukrainian refugees than any other country - almost 1.4 million people have registered there. Many are children, so their needs are at the heart of the refugee response.   The park is a short walk from home, so Mykyta gets to play outdoors most days. UN0705576, The park is a short walk from home, so Mykyta gets to play outdoors most days., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705576/Strek Mykyta’s aunt, 13-year-old Daryna, pretends to take a picture of him with a toy camera. UN0705586, Mykyta’s aunt, 13-year-old Daryna, pretends to take a picture of him with a toy camera., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705586/Strek Matviy enjoys yoghurt for breakfast in his highchair. UN0705551, Matviy enjoys yoghurt for breakfast in his highchair., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705551/Strek Mykyta on the balcony at his new home. UN0705580, Mykyta on the balcony at his new home., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705580/Strek The park is a short walk from home, so Mykyta gets to play outdoors most days. Mykyta’s aunt, 13-year-old Daryna, pretends to take a picture of him with a toy camera. Matviy enjoys yoghurt for breakfast in his highchair. Mykyta on the balcony at his new home. Kateryna quickly registered the children at UNIMED…, Mykyta after receiving his immunizations from the nurse, Ewelina Tytula. He is protected against measles, mumps and rubella with the MMRvaX Pro vaccine; diphtheria, tetanus, and polio types 1, 2 and 3 with the Tetraxim vaccine; and chickenpox using the Varilrix vaccine., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705561/Strek Part of the service includes a general check-up with the doctor. UN0705558, Part of the service includes a general check-up with the doctor., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705558/Strek Matviy also receives vaccinations, protecting him against the same diseases as his older brother. UN0705564, Matviy also receives vaccinations, protecting him against the same diseases as his older brother., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705564/Strek Mykyta is given some stickers and a certificate for being a “brave patient”. UN0705560, Mykyta is given some stickers and a certificate for being a “brave patient”., UNICEF & U.S. CDC/UN0705560/Strek Mykyta after receiving his immunizations from the nurse, Ewelina Tytula. Part of the service includes a general check-up with the doctor. Matviy also receives vaccinations, protecting him against the same diseases as his older brother. Mykyta is given some stickers and a certificate for being a “brave patient”., Making new friends and building confidence on the football field, In addition to getting the vaccinations her children need, Kateryna is also focused on making sure her two boys can participate in activities they enjoy and that they make new friends. “Mykyta is so sociable that he’ll find friends everywhere,” she says. “I found an advertisement for a football club. It turned out that the coach is from Ukraine,…, New beginnings at a new school, While Kateryna is happy that Mykyta is meeting other children, she has been worrying about what’s next for his education. Over the summer, she says she wasn’t even sure where Mykyta’s first day of class would be. Like so many parents who have been forced to uproot their children, Kateryna was finding it difficult to make plans amid the constantly…, After a long day, there's no place like home, The family back at home at the end of a school day. Back at their new apartment, Kateryna stretches the fun day of activities into the evening, just like she did in Kryukivshchyna – the village she and her family had to flee.  Bedtime stories are part of their daily routine. Bedtime stories are part of their nightly routine. “I instilled in Mykyta…

Uganda is home to a large population of refugees, many fleeing conflict and instability in bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over 1.5 million people have sought safety in the country. More than half of them are children. The Palorinya Refugee Settlement, in the northwest of the country, is home to some of these…, The community health workers leading the effort, To reach students and their communities with the COVID-19 vaccines they need, village health teams are leading the effort. Supported by UNICEF and partner organizations, the teams work across 13 districts in this region of Uganda, aiming to provide vaccines to at least 80 per cent of the refugee population.  The third phase of the COVID…, How the mobilization campaign is creating awareness, Awareness of the various risks associated with COVID-19 is rising among these communities. Stanley Karamira, who is a health worker, attributes much of that success to the Humanitarian Buffer, which airs messaging on radio talk shows that feature district leaders, church leaders and prominent members of the community. “We also have many posters in…

Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. The protracted drought is forcing families to leave their homes in search of food and water, putting their health, safety and education at risk. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in…, Forced to abandon home, 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in an IDP camp in Somalia 10-year-old Hibo carries water in a jerrycan to her temporary home in a camp for internally displaced people in Somalia. “We left our home in Guriel and walked for 10 days to reach Kaharey camp," she says. The scale of the displacement is immense – Somalia…, Daily life rationed, Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels. Hafsa Bedel, a mother of six, is struggling to save the lives of her young camels in Ethiopia. Having already lost 25 livestock, she keeps them close to home for fear of them not finding food and water. “I can’t afford to feed them corn. We don’t even have enough…, A question of survival, Muna holds her baby Sukra in a UNICEF-supported Stabilisation Centre treating children with malnutrition in Somalia. Baby Sukra at a UNICEF-supported centre where children are treated for malnutrition in Somalia. Poor access to safe water jeopardizes a child’s chance of survival. Water scarcity increases the risk of diarrhoea, a major killer of…, Education on hold, Drought is affecting school attendance in the affected areas. Overall, 15 million children in the Horn of Africa are now out of school and an additional estimated 3.3 million children are at risk of dropping out due to drought.   Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his donkeys back home at dusk Abdurazak Mohammed, a sixth grader, takes his…, Responding to the crisis, UNICEF and partners are providing life-saving services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa. We are on the ground providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services. To provide longer term solutions, we’re working to improve access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene…, What needs to happen, UNICEF has launched a regional call to action to address the drought crisis. If immediate funding needs are met, life-saving support may avert catastrophic consequences. But recurrent droughts and increasing water insecurity need long-term investments in water, sanitation and hygiene services, water management, and climate-proof infrastructure. …

Olga has just received a call on her mobile phone from a woman travelling from Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine. “Her husband died on the frontline. She’s only just found out,” Olga says. Child protection specialist Olga speaks on the phone at a reception centre for children and families displaced due to war in the country. Child protection…

Long after a conflict has ended – after the terrifying sounds of gunfire, mortars and rockets have gradually faded – the impact of explosive weapons can reverberate for years to come. Landmines and unexploded or abandoned ordnance continue to kill and maim children and their families, leaving lasting scars both physical and psychological. Iraq…

After a month of war in Ukraine, children continue to be killed, injured and deeply traumatized by the violence all around them. Millions of children have had their lives upended in the most devastating way. The war has caused one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II – a grim milestone that could have lasting…

Haiti. A boy stands outside his damaged home. 11-year-old Widler stands outside his badly damaged home following the August earthquake “I don't remember how long the earthquake lasted. The earth began to shake, and everything fell apart,” says 11-year-old Widler. “I was helping my father to make a fire when we felt the earth shake and our house…

TIGRAY, Ethiopia – Families across northern Ethiopia face emergency levels of malnutrition and food insecurity, nine months since conflict erupted in the region. More than 100,000 children in Tigray could suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition in the next 12 months. This malnutrition crisis is taking place amid extensive,…

When Haitians started their day on 12 January ten years ago, they could not have imagined the devastation that was about to befall their country. Later that day, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, claiming the lives of more than 220,000 people. The quake – one of the deadliest natural disasters on record – destroyed much of the country’s fragile…

As 2019 draws to a close, UNICEF editors sorted through this year's photography archive and selected some of the most moving, striking and inspiring images from its work with children around the world. This collection is a mere fraction of the countless moments and issues that shaped this year, across the more than 190 countries and territories in…