Our mission

We believe no child should be part of war. Ever. And we won’t stop until this belief becomes a reality.

We are War Child

Around the world, hundreds of millions of children are living with the effects of war and conflict. Separated from their homes, schools and loved ones, many are overwhelmed by manifestations of distress.

We may never be able to take away all the pain that comes with war. But we can create space where children can heal. Through our creative and evidence-based approach, we work exclusively to enhance the innate resilience of children and their communities.

We are a rights-based organisation - which means we also advocate with and on behalf of children to ensure their fundamental rights are upheld.

Children’s right to learn; to food, water, a safe place to rest their head at night, are all inextricably linked to their right to mental health. We remind governments and other influential actors of the scope of their commitments.

Sri Lanka - girl looks into camera - War Child

Sri Lankan girl who participated in our programmes

Photo: Marcel van der Steen

Our Strategy

War Child reaches many thousands of children and youth every year - yet there are 468 million children living with the effects of armed conflict. We will never reach them all by ourselves - which is why our strategic goal is to become the networked expert organisation for children affected by conflict.

Networked: The strategy sees us work together with organisations across the world to ensure our work has maximum reach and impact.

Expert: We continue to develop robust interventions - backed by evidence and research to meet the highest standards of quality - and share them through a network of partner organisations.

Our overall goal is that increasing numbers of children and youth will access quality interventions and as a result enjoy improved wellbeing.