Tagged: Children and Armed Conflict

A young girl stands in a room that is now largely rubble.

Protecting children in conflict – a moral imperative

Children in emergencies

By

It has been a rewarding, challenging year. On January 1, 2018, when I became the head of UNICEF, I felt privileged to begin leading an organization with a noble mission: protecting the rights of every child. I thought then – and am even more convinced now – that there is no more important cause than children and young people. But… Read more →←
A boy sits in the front row of a classroom while a teacher assists him with a textbook.

Education will bring a better day for me

Children in emergencies

By ,

Story also available in: العربية Français
I will always remember that night in December 2013. My family had had dinner and spent some time discussing the events of the day before heading to bed. About 30 minutes later, I heard gunshots. I thought they were the usual gunshots that I often heard in Juba but these continued throughout the night. At some point, my father gathered us… Read more →←
A man unloads UNICEF-branded box out of a covered truck.

Syrian families struggle to survive in besieged east Ghouta

Children in emergencies

By

Story also available in: العربية
The scale of destruction and depth of suffering is mind-blowing. It is hard to imagine life in these conditions. These are the thoughts that hit me as we arrived in the so-called ‘buffer zone’ just outside of besieged Al-Nashabiyeh in east Ghouta, rural Damascus. Burnt trees, rubble, and damaged buildings lined the streets as we… Read more →←
A shaft of light reflects an empty classroom with an empty chalkboard.

A small spark ignites a wave of conflict in DR Congo

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français
There is life before the crisis, and life since the crisis. A small spark ignited a wave of conflict. The Kasaï region has become a synonym for unbelievable atrocities and immeasurable violence. Most people have probably never heard of the Kasai and would probably struggle to locate it a map. But now militias, mystical attacks,… Read more →←
A young man in a purple tee shirt stands as he pumps water

Safe water transforms a community in unexpected ways

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français
The conflict in the Central African Republic follows a line that is the boundary between the savannah and the tropical interior of Central Africa. On that line is Bossangoa, a city at the centre of a range of conflicts that gripped the country in 2013 and 2014. Residents fled to displacements camps and across the border to Cameroon and… Read more →←
A girl smiles for the camera as her friend looks on

The quest for safety: Displaced Syrian children in camps

Children in emergencies

By Anonymous

Children pay the highest price for war. They suffer from the fear of death and injury. Those who survive are grieving for lost loved ones, leaving them with lifelong psychological scars. Working as a health and nutrition facilitator with UNICEF in north-eastern Syria for the past three years, I have seen many families uprooted from their… Read more →←
A young blid girl in a yellow dress, singing.

The white rose of Syria

Children in emergencies

By

Story also available in: العربية Français
“I will return to my home, love will return,” Ansam’s melodic voice reverberates around a packed Damascus opera house. The audience is transfixed by the 10-year-old’s singing and the harmony of the forty-strong children’s choir who accompany her. Born blind, Ansam lives in Syria’s capital after being displaced by fighting… Read more →←
A pair of hands, fingertips together, against a background of blue and white clothing

I have witnessed terrible things

Children in emergencies

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The following is an interview with 17 year old ‘Aminata’ (not her real name). She was taken by Boko Haram against her will two years ago and forced to marry an insurgent. Aminata had no choice but to live with the insurgents for two years, until she finally managed to escape. Aminata is now an internally displaced person (IDP) living… Read more →←

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