Rohingya girls sit outside a UNICEF-supported Learning Center in Balukhali camp for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh on 4 March 2018.

Here's How UNICEF Helped Millions of Children in 2018

January 29, 2019

Sarah Ferguson

In 2018, UNICEF and partners provided critical services for millions of children caught up in humanitarian crises all over the world.

For over 70 years, UNICEF has been putting children first, working to protect their rights and provide the assistance and services they need to survive and thrive all over the world.

As the leading United Nations agency for child protection, UNICEF works with partners and governments all over the world to provide critical support for millions of girls and boys affected by humanitarian crises. Below, some key results achieved by UNICEF in the first 10 months of 2018:

NUTRITION

UNICEF and partners treated 2.6 million children for severe acute malnutrition

Douyassi, a malnourished 2-year-old, is fed from a pack of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) at the nutrition ward of the Bangui Pediatric Hospital in Bangui, Central African Republic. UNICEF is the largest global distributor of RUTF, purchasing 80 percent of the world's supply.

IMMUNIZATION

UNICEF and partners vaccinated 4.7 million children against measles

A mother brings her child to be vaccinated at a primary health center in Kwakta village, near Imphal in India's northeastern state of Manipur.

A mother brings her child to be vaccinated against measles and rubella at a primary health center in India's northeastern state of Manipur. UNICEF provides immunizations to nearly half of the world's children.

EDUCATION

UNICEF and partners helped 5.9 million children continue their educations

Students at Kafin Liman Primary School, Bauchi State, Nigeria. UNICEF's education programs in 155 countries reach more children than any other organization in the world.

WATER

UNICEF and partners provided 35.3 million people with safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene

©UNICEF/UN0208017/Dejong

Students wash their hands at school in Essankro, in southeastern Côte d'Ivoire. UNICEF is working in more than 100 countries to provide safe water and sanitation to the world's most vulnerable children.

CASH TRANSFERS

UNICEF and partners provided 1.1 million people with cash transfers to support their families

UNICEF Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappalaere visits a family benefiting from the Emergency Cash Transfer program in Sana'a, Yemen in October 2018.

Cash transfers help families feed their children and get them to school, heat their homes and more. In October 2018, UNICEF Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappalaere (above, far right) visits a family in Sana'a, Yemen who participate in UNICEF's Emergency Cash Transfer program.

CHILD PROTECTION

UNICEF and partners reached 3.1 million children and caregivers with counseling and psychosocial support

Jemima, an Ebola survivor, cares for 6-month-old Josué at a UNICEF-supported child care center in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in December 2018.

Ebola survivor Jemima cares for 6-month-old Josué, orphaned by Ebola, at a UNICEF-supported child care center in Beni, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in December 2018.

MINE EDUCATION

UNICEF's mine action programs taught 3.4 million children how to identify and avoid landmines and explosive remnants of war

In December 2018, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore (left) chats with children at a Mine Risk Education class at Al-Mahatta Al-Awla primary school in Izra city, in Dara’a, southern Syria.

In December 2018, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore (above, left) chats with children at a Mine Risk Education class at Al-Mahatta Al-Awla primary school in Izra city, in Dara’a, southern Syria.

UNICEF is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children in crises by providing lifesaving aid and long-term support. Please help UNICEF support and protect the world's most vulnerable children in 2019.

PROTECT CHILDREN

UNICEF and partners are working tirelessly in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Bangladesh and around the world to save and protect children. With a presence in 190 countries and territories, UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world.

Source: UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2019 report. Read more here.

Top photo: Rohingya girls sit outside a UNICEF-supported Learning Center in Balukhali camp for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh in March 2018. © UNICEF/UN0203363/Sokol

HOW TO HELP

There are many ways to make a difference

War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.

Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.

Invest in children and their futures

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A group of smiling UNICEF club members, wearing UNICEF USA t-shirts, stand on a city street and reach their arms out to signify welcoming others.

Rally friends and family to help kids

FUNDRAISE

UNICEF delivers supplies wherever kids need them most

Help UNICEF get lifesaving aid to children in crisis

SEND SUPPLIES

Support for Young Sexual Violence Survivors in Guatemala

Samira, a mother of five, was forced to leave her home following bombardment and is now living with her children in the streets of Martyrs Square in Beirut.

Impact of Hostilities on Lebanon's Children: Loss and Uncertainty

An 18-year-old mother, who was raped by a man who later disappeared, with her 4-month-old daughter at a UNICEF-supported IDP site in in the Borena zone, Oromia region, southern Ethiopia.