Campaigning for and with children

In South Sudan, some children know the price of a sack of charcoal before they know the periodic table. Some can negotiate with customers before they can confidently read a textbook. Some learn how to survive before they are given the chance to discover what they might become.We often call this child labour.I think of it differently.I think child labour is the theft of time.

With a population of about 170 million, Bangladesh faces serious challenges in protecting its children, who make up roughly 40–45% of the population. Despite ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and enacting the Children’s Act 2013, children remain highly vulnerable. The 2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) shows that 86% of children aged 1–14 have experienced violent discipline in the past month. Child marriage is also widespread: 47% of women aged 20–24 married before 18, and 13% before 15, while overall 56% of women aged 18–49 was married before turning 18.

On 5 June 2026, in Ho Chi Minh City, Save the Children, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Children's Rights (HACR), organised the exchange programme “Outstanding Girls’ Clubs – Connecting and Inspiring”. The event was held under the project “Girls Unstoppable” for the 2025–2026 period, aiming to promote children’s meaningful participation, especially that of girls, in the school environment.

At just 17, Imtiaz from Bangladesh emerged as a powerful young voice for urban children at the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan. A child rights advocate and member of the National Children’s Task Force, Imtiaz delivered a powerful message: a safe home is the foundation upon which all other children's rights are built.

On 16 May 2026, the Lao Cai Department of Education and Training, in collaboration with Save the Children through the Child-Centred Community Development Programme in Lao Cai, officially launched SHIFT 2026, a programme that supports adolescents and young people to develop and implement their own initiatives.

For nearly two decades, Ajoba* has stood at the frontlines of care in Abyei, quietly protecting generations of children from deadly but preventable diseases.A vaccinator for over 19 years with the State Ministry of Health, and now working with Save the Children, Ajoba has dedicated her life to one simple but powerful mission: keeping every child and mother safe through vaccination and health care.

More than 60 young people from Vietnam and the Republic of Korea came together to connect, exchange ideas, and share climate initiatives at the event “Vietnam–Korea Youth Acting Green for a Shared Future.”