This World Children’s Day, War Child has announced the launch of its largest humanitarian response yet, aiming to provide desperately needed aid and psychological support to over a million children impacted by war in Gaza and Lebanon. The charity has kicked off its 2024 Winter Appeal with the unveiling of billboards that tell the public: ‘This year, it’s not the thought that counts’.
The billboards, designed by The Maverick Group, feature the harrowing image of a child sat in the rubble of a building in Gaza with a plea for donations to aid the organisation’s ongoing efforts in the region. The first two billboards have now been unveiled in East London at Cable Street and Butcher Row, with additional billboards planned across the country. All billboard space across the country has been donated by BUILDHOLLYWOOD as part of its ongoing partnership with War Child.
As part of the appeal, War Child has also unveiled a new mural by leading aerosol portrait artist, Neil Burton at Euston Square Hotel. Inspired by an image taken by Gaza-based photojournalist, Mohammed Al Zaanoun, the mural depicts a child stood in the rubble of Gaza with the message ‘No child should be part of war. Ever.’ The mural space was donated by Global Street Art, and Euston Square Hotel.
Helen Pattinson, CEO of War Child UK, said: “To date, War Child has reached over 180,000 children in Gaza and over 2,500 in Lebanon. As the conflicts continue, we’ve launched our largest appeal yet, to provide urgent relief to these children, including food, clean water, shelter, psychological support, education kits, and more. We are deeply grateful for the continued support of our partners, whose creative efforts and generous donations of public spaces will provide much-needed help to amplify our call for action.”
The nightmare for children in Lebanon and Gaza continues to worsen, with over 1.5 million children in urgent need of aid. War Child is providing life-saving support to children and young people affected by the violence. In Gaza, over 43,000 people have been killed, including at least 14,000 children, with thousands more still trapped beneath the rubble. Concurrently, the situation in Lebanon sees more than 400,000 children impacted by the violence, including many Syrian refugees who are now fleeing war for the second time.
In Lebanon alone, War Child’s teams have been working to create child-friendly spaces in both new and existing shelters. Starting its work in 8 locations, War Child has now expanded its operations to 36 shelters and safe spaces, with plans to increase this number to 90 in the near future. These spaces provide a vital source of respite for children and their parents, offering a range of activities including games, psychosocial support, and a colourful environment - an uplifting contrast to the harsh conditions of the camps where they are currently forced to reside.
