What we do and why

Street children have their hair washed - Friends Outreach Project, Phnom Penh. (Copyright: Save the Children)

Why is help needed today?

There are more children living in poverty now than ever before in history.

In a world where children continue to go hungry, where they are the victims of preventable disease, where they are abused and exploited or denied access to education, Save the Children continues its work to give all children the best possible start in life, and to universally recognise their rights.

The statistics speak for themselves.

Over 10 million children still die every year, often from causes that can be easily prevented.

  • 150 million children are malnourished
  • 100 million children are not in school
  • 250 million children must work to survive
  • 600 million children live in extreme poverty - the largest number in history
  • 2 million children were killed in armed conflict in the last decade and a further 6 million were disabled, seriously injured or traumatised
  • 30 million children have been bought and sold into exploitation and abuse since 1990
  • 14 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.