Overview
Last year War Child directly reached 109,000 children, young people and adults across our country programmes. Add in our wider work in the communities we cover and we supported a total of 415,000 people. We expect to be working with a total of 160,000 beneficiaries in 2017.
We have delivered that support in countries where, in many cases, it is becoming increasingly tough for us to work.
Afghanistan remains arguably the most dangerous, violent and conflict-stricken country in the world. The civil war in South Sudan entered its third year, with the displaced population in Uganda continuing to grow. Despite elections in Central African Republic, 2016 saw a renewal of violence and unprecedented child protection issues across the country. The intensity of conflict in northern Iraq led to horrific human rights violations and a severe displacement crisis. And the unfurling human catastrophe in Yemen has left an estimated 80% of the population aged under 18 in need of support.
Yet across all these areas, War Child teams have continued to deliver vital child protection, education and livelihood programmes, with a focus on quality and impact.
That focus on quality and impact was an important part of our approach in 2016. Comprehensive measurement and evaluation allowed us to be confident in the effectiveness and value of our activity. We also put an emphasis on innovation throughout the year – ranging from the use of new technology to extend our education programmes, to new approaches to highlight the voices of children affected by war.
We worked closely with the War Child family worldwide, in particular our sister organisation War Child Holland. That co-operation allowed us to build best practice together and extend our beneficiary reach. We look forward to this important relationship developing further in 2017 and beyond.
Our work in 2016 was only possible thanks to our supporters. We are driven by the knowledge that our supporters care profoundly about children affected by conflict and want us to continue to deepen the care that we are able to provide – reaching as many children as possible. Every one of us at War Child wants to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, every institution and individual that supported us.
