Five child hunger global hotspots in 2026—and how you can help

This is the nightmarish reality for millions of parents worldwide in the face of a global hunger crisis. 

In 2025 alone, armed conflict fueled 20 hunger crises—meaning families can’t meet their food and nutrient needs, which is reflected in high malnutrition rates—affecting 140 million people, including severe famines in Gaza and Sudan. 

And, this year, five global hotspots reveal the devasting impact hunger continues to wreak in children’s lives. 

But through our Full Bellies, Bright Futures Food Drive, you can reach these children before starvation does—nourishing their bodies, hearts and minds so they can build the bright, fulfilling future they deserve. 

Sudan: Civil war creates famine 

After three years of civil war, the conflict in Sudan has grown into the worst humanitarian crisis in recorded history—and children continue to suffer the most. 

“Children across Sudan are living through one of the most devastating crises in the country’s history,” says Limia Ahmed, deputy national director of SOS Children’s Villages in Sudan. “Millions have been forced to flee their homes, and many have lost access to school, healthcare and safe shelter. Every day, children face growing risks of hunger, disease, and exploitation, while their sense of safety and normalcy continues to wear down.”     

Violence has destroyed crops, livestock and farming land; displaced families who used to farm or raise livestock, leaving them without livelihoods or food; and destabilized economies, causing prices to skyrocket. Families often can’t afford the few supplies that are available.  

These compounding factors have triggered a devastating famine, which has left:   

— More than 28 million people acutely food insecure, with 10 million approaching catastrophic hunger levels—the highest emergency levels of hunger ever recorded 

— More than four million children under age five suffering from acute malnutrition, leaving them vulnerable to widespread diseases like cholera, malaria and measles—especially as more than 70% of healthcare facilities aren’t functioning 

— Approximately 73% of women without enough food to stay healthy due to deeply rooted social norms that often cause women to eat least and last 

Learn how SOS is delivering life-saving aid to children and families in Sudan 

Ethiopia: Humanitarian crisis fuels hunger 

Living through a prolonged drought and protracted regional conflict, children and families in Ethiopia are in crisis.  

Approximately 85% of the population in Ethiopia rely on agriculture for a steady income and nutritious food. But as drought devastates crops and armed conflict forces people from their homes, children and families are slowly starving. 

The hunger crisis in Ethiopia has left: 

— More than 15 million people facing acute food insecurity, including one million refugees from neighboring countries like Sudan and Somalia 

— More than four million pregnant and breastfeeding women in need of urgent treatment for malnutrition and hunger, threatening mothers’ lives and keeping their children from the healthy start they deserve 

— More than 1.8 million children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition 

Gaza: Regional conflict drives starvation 

As violence escalates across the Middle East, children and families are once again in crisis. 

The conflict devastates critical infrastructure, services and food supply chains across the region. In Gaza, four in five children face life-threatening food insecurity. 

“These children have lost everything—homes, families, a sense of safety,” says Reem Alreqeb, Gaza program director for SOS Children’s Villages in Palestine.   

Armed conflict destroys food systems—land where crops are grown, roads that are used to deliver food products, markets where goods are sold, etc.—and causes long-term economic instability, wherein prices soar and food is unaffordable.  

In Gaza, this means:  

— More than 1.6 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity 

— 100% of Gaza’s population is experiencing crisis-level hunger—this is the most severe rate of food insecurity per capita ever recorded globally 

— More than 132,000 children under five are at risk of death from acute malnutrition 

Learn more about your emergency impact in the Middle East 

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed conflict drives child wasting 

With escalating violence from the armed M23 rebel group, millions of people have been displaced in eastern DRC, making it one of the world’s largest displacement crises. 

 Violence, damaged infrastructure and severe flooding have destroyed livelihoods and crucial food systems, driving one of the world’s most severe child hunger and wasting crises.   

In DRC:  

— More than 26 million people are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity 

— More than four million children are facing acute malnutrition 

— More than one million children face severe wasting, which, if left untreated, is fatal 

Read more about how hunger affects children 

Somalia and Somaliland: Drought robs families of their lives 

“There’s no water. There’s no rain. And now, there are no crops.”   

These words from a member of Somaliland’s community echo the hopeless cry of millions across Somalia and Somaliland. Now entering the sixth year of severe drought, children and families in this region are in crisis.  

As a primarily agrarian country, families in Somalia and Somaliland rely on livestock and crops to earn an income. But at least 3.5 million livestock have died in the drought, devastating family’s livelihoods, plunging communities into food crises and leaving millions in need of urgent help.  

In Somalia and Somaliland:  

— An estimated 6.5 million—one in three—people are facing high levels of food insecurity 

— More than 1.8 children are suffering from life-threatening acute malnutrition 

— Due to the conflict in the Middle East, food prices and fuel costs have risen by approximately 150% 

Read more about your impact on children in crisis in Somalia and Somaliland. 

How you can stop child hunger today  

No child should go hungry, unable to focus during the day or sleep at night because of their aching stomach. No parent should watch their child waste away, helpless to provide the healthy meals they need to grow with joy.  

You can be the difference between starvation and survival for a child in need.   

With your gift to our Full Bellies, Bright Futures Food Drive, you can send the life-saving food a child needs to fuel their body, nurture their mind and reach their full potential.  

Your support doesn’t just fill a child’s plate now—it fills entire communities’ hearts with hope.   

Your gift today can:   

— Deliver emergency food assistance and prevent starvation.  

— Equip families with seeds and agriculture training to weather climate disasters.  

— Protect children’s health and futures with life-saving medical care that combats the devastating effects of malnutrition.   

Together, we can turn hunger into hope. Your gift today is a lifeline—giving children the food they need to grow, learn and thrive—and parents the tools they need to rebuild with hope.  

Help end childhood hunger today