As conflict rages from the villages of north-east Nigeria to the refugee camps in Jordan, children are bearing the brunt of the violence, robbed of their childhood, education, families, and in many cases, their lives.
A global movement of journalists, under the aegis of Reporters for Early Age Children in Humanitarian Crisis (REACH) Network, has raised an alarm over the deepening crisis facing babies and young children in crisis settings.
In a communique issued after its second meeting hosted recently by the Moving Minds Alliance, and signed by its co-chair, Mojeed Alabi, REACH Network highlighted sobering data from five countries including Nigeria, Jordan, India, Uganda, and Cameroon, where it claims children continue to face an alarming range of challenges that threaten their survival and development.
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The network warned that without urgent interventions, millions of children may remain permanently scarred by war, displacement, climate change and chronic neglect. “Early childhood care in humanitarian settings is not a luxury but a matter of life and death,” the communique warns.
Children on the brink
With nearly 2 billion children aged 0–14 globally, the REACH network reiterated that Early Childhood Development (ECD) in humanitarian settings is a matter of life and death.
The report draws on United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) findings that emphasises how access to ECD services in such contexts can determine survival outcomes.
In the face of ongoing wars, intensifying climate disasters, and collapsing social systems, the network urged governments, donors, and humanitarian actors to place children, especially babies and toddlers at the centre of emergency planning and response.
Nigeria
The situation in Nigeria is dire. According to a 2024 joint report by UNICEF and the Nigerian government, 105 million Nigerian children, nearly half the country’s population, face serious risks.
Over 10.2 million primary-age and 8.1 million secondary-age children are out of school while more than 2.1 million are unvaccinated.
Similarly, the country ranks second globally in climate risk for children and first in food insecurity, with 31.8 million people lacking sufficient food. While terrorist attacks, banditry, and farmer displacement worsen food scarcity and education access, donor funding is drying up.
Amid the drying funding, health, education, and social protection sectors received just 15.7 per cent of the 2024 national budget down from 22 per cent allocated in 2021.
The network called for an urgent scale-up in security and recruitment of at least 200,000 teachers to reverse the decline in the education sector. “Funding must match rhetoric,” it stressed.
India
India, home to 19 per cent of the world’s children, is extremely prone to natural disasters with the country witnessing seven major cyclones between 2023 and 2024.
While 37 cities in the country experienced temperatures above 45°C last year, it is anticipating longer heatwaves this year, as a result of which over 2.4million children required assistance.
Additionally, flood and climate-related disasters are driving spikes in malnutrition, disrupting immunisation, education, and leaving women and children vulnerable to trafficking in India.
The REACH network said it’s time to zoom in on intersectionality to understand the local context and how the desired outcomes can be achieved in the sectors of education, health, nutrition, closing gender disparity and breaking the chain of intergenerational violence.
Uganda situation
Children make up half of Uganda’s 45.9 million population, yet 26 per cent of children under five are stunted or wasted while only 41 per cent finish primary school.
With over 1.7 million refugees in the country, children are growing up malnourished, uneducated, and vulnerable to violence. Early marriages remain a huge concern as 34 per cent of women aged 20–24 were married as children.
One in four lives in extreme poverty in Jordan as over 50 per cent of children are trapped in multidimensional poverty.
“Uganda’s progress risks being reversed if child protection and nutrition are not urgently prioritised in rural and refugee settings,” the network warns.
Cameroon – caught in triple crisis
In Cameroon, three simultaneous humanitarian crises, including the Anglophone conflict, Boko Haram insurgency, and the refugee influx from the Central African Republic have left 1.9 million children in urgent need of assistance.
Armed groups have also shut down schools in the Anglophone regions as up to 25 per cent of children aged 3–17 in these areas are out of school. While some are born stateless due to the chaos, many face water scarcity and food insecurity.
The REACH network described the situation as ‘a child’s worst nightmare,’ citing an overwhelming funding gap and poor access to affected areas due to insecurity. It stressed the need for government, humanitarian actors, donors, civil society, and the international community to work towards reopening and protecting schools in conflict-affected areas as well as supporting community-based education programs and alternative learning spaces.
Jordan
Jordan has made commendable progress in reducing under-five mortality and achieving near-universal school enrolment. But the cracks are visible as half of the 233,000 school-aged Syrian refugee children are out of school.
Also, in Jordan, poor families can only access 5 per cent of early childhood services compared to 44 per cent access for the wealthy while water scarcity, one of the worst globally, is leaving children vulnerable to diseases and poor educational outcomes, particularly girls.
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The REACH network has recommended that publicly funded ECD programmes be expanded, especially in refugee-dense and low-income communities.
Call to action
The communique called on international partners and governments to increase funding, restore education programs, strengthen health services, and protect children from exploitation and abuse.
The network’s co-chair, Mr Alabi, warned that without urgent intervention, the future of these children will be bleak.
“They are losing their childhoods and their futures. Humanitarian actors and governments must act decisively and swiftly. There is also the need to expeditiously hold accountable those who attack schools, teachers, pupils and students.”
He added that psychosocial support, trauma care, and family reunification services should be scaled up while the prevention of the recruitment and use of children by armed groups should be prioritised.
Additionally, the network emphasised that efforts to reinforce birth registration and legal documentation for refugee and displaced children should be pursued.
“Donors and other well-wishers should increase their funding for the humanitarian response plan for Cameroon with dedicated child-focused programming. Every child deserves safety, education, and a future.” the network stated.
About REACH Network
The REACH network is a global movement of reporters dedicated to advocating improved care and support for young children and their caregivers in emergencies, displacement, and crises through their reporting.
It investigates and reports on early childhood development in emergencies; advances evidence-based interventions and best practices in early childhood care during emergencies as well as advocates for increased attention, resources, and sustainable ECD programmes in humanitarian crisis response efforts.
