Six humanitarian crises affecting children in 2026

As 2026 unfolds, humanitarian crises—and the number of people affected—have reached unprecedented levels worldwide. 

Natural disasters, war, migration, global hunger—regardless of the type of emergency, children suffer the most.

Without immediate, life-saving support and protection, children are left vulnerable to hunger, violence, exploitation and other countless dangers.  

In this humanitarian crisis report, we explore the six most urgent global emergencies of 2026—where children need help most, what's driving these emergencies and how we can act strategically to help children survive crises. 

Sudan: Civil war and famine 

Sudan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in recorded history.  

Three years into a devastating civil war, and the conflict has escalated into an unprecedented emergency:  

— 33.7 million (two in every three) people require urgent aid—the highest number of people in need ever recorded.   

— More than 24 million people face catastrophic levels of hunger. 

— More than 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes—more than half of them children—making it the world’s largest displacement crisis.  

The combination of armed conflict and widespread famine has created deadly conditions for children and families. Violent attacks continue to force millions from their homes, while famine pushes 24 million people to the brink of starvation—children being the most vulnerable. 

“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, health care 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.”  

How does SOS support children in Sudan? 

When the conflict began in 2023, SOS immediately expanded our programs in Sudan. To protect the most affected children and families, we launched a comprehensive, three-year emergency response initiative that delivers safe shelter, nutritious food, clean water, trauma-informed mental health support and child-friendly spaces to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation.   

Learn more about how we support children in Sudan. 

Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

Prolonged political unrest and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has made it one of the most dangerous places in the world for a child in 2026. 

— More than 26.7 million people are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity. 

— More than 5.3 million people have been displaced in eastern DRC.  

— Nearly two million children have severe wasting, an extreme and life-threatening stage of undernutrition.  

With escalating violence from the armed M23 rebel group threatening the lives of those in eastern DRC, hundreds of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced and the need for aid has exponentially increased. It’s estimated that 27 million people in the DRC desperately need humanitarian assistance—most notably access to food and life-saving medical care.  

“Some [children] are coming from families where everybody has been killed,” said Armand Tchoffouo, the national director of SOS Children’s Villages in DRC. “They find themselves alone with nobody to take care of them.”  

How does SOS support children in DRC? 

SOS remains dedicated to protecting children in the DRC from violence, malnutrition and displacement. We continue to serve 1,800 children and families—and counting—with the immediate, humanitarian aid they need to survive this emergency. 

Learn more about how we support children in DRC. 

War in Ukraine 

As we enter the fourth year of war in Ukraine, millions of children and families need critical humanitarian assistance. 

— More than 3.5 million children lack access to basic needs—like adequate food and shelter. 

— More than 7 million children have experienced violence, displacement and disrupted education. 

— More than 12.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian support. 

How does SOS support children in Ukraine? 

Since the conflict began in 2022, we’ve served more than 400,000 children and families with life-saving support. Currently, SOS provides care for one in three of all psychologically or physically injured children. 

“Everything we get from SOS Children’s Villages is useful,” Iulia, a mother of three, said. “From flu medication for the children, to tutoring, and especially the psychological support. We cannot cope with the trauma on our own.”   

Help a child in Ukraine heal today. 

Humanitarian crisis in Colombia 

As the result of the ongoing migration crisis, escalating violence, severe inflation and critical shortages of food, education and health care in Venezuela and Colombia are claiming the lives of and threatening more.   

— More than 10 million people need urgent humanitarian aid. 

— More than 13 million people are experiencing food insecurity. 

— More than seven million people are internally displaced—the third largest IDP population worldwide. 

Extreme poverty and hunger jeopardize children’s futures—and with a 1,000% increase in child recruitment to armed groups from 2021-2024, according to the International Rescue Committee—violence and exploitation threaten to take their lives. 

How does SOS support children in Colombia?  

With decades of humanitarian expertise, SOS delivers immediate, life-saving protection and care to children in need. Through initiatives like Take my Hand and our locally-led Family and Community Development Center, we provide safe homes, nutritious food, education in emergencies, economic empowerment, cultural inclusion programs and more, so children and families in Colombia have access to the resources and opportunities they need to survive this crisis and thrive for years after. 

Read more about our impact in Colombia. 

Armed conflict in Burkina Faso 

Although it hasn’t received the same level of global attention as other emergencies, Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, is in crisis.

Severe conflict from armed terrorist groups threaten children and families’ lives. Violence, kidnappings and forced recruitment have displaced more than two million people.  

“We abandoned everything: our house, our livestock, our food,” said Absetou, a displaced mother of three. “We walked for days in fear. We even lost the identity documents of our children. We have to rebuild everything.”  

Read Absetou’s full story.

How does SOS support children in Burkina Faso? 

With decades of emergency expertise, SOS Children’s Villages responded immediately, launching a humanitarian effort to provide families like Absetou’s with critical, life-saving aid—like nutritious food, clean water, shelter and mental and physical health care—and long-term support they need to survive a crisis and thrive for years to come.  

Help feed another family in crisis.

Drought crisis in Somalia and Somaliland 

Somalia and Somaliland are facing their worst drought in decades.  

For five years, an unprecedented drought has gripped the entire region of Somaliland, leaving families and children to seek refuge and in urgent need of relief. 

More than 3.5 million livestock have died because of the drought—plunging many communities into food crises.  

— 4.6 million—nearly one in four—people are facing high levels of food insecurity. 

— Nearly 3.5 million children and families are internally displaced. 

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

How does SOS support children in Somalia and Somaliland? 

Since 2019, SOS has reached more than 290,000 children and families with the life-saving humanitarian aid they need to survive this crisis. And, by training families in climate-smart farming methods, SOS helps build resilience against climate crises and hope for a more sustainable future. 

How you can help children in crisis in 2026 

These six humanitarian crises represent some of the most urgent child protection emergencies in the world today—and they all require immediate international attention, emergency relief and sustained humanitarian aid. 

You have the power to make a difference for a child living in crisis. 

Your urgent gift to the Children in Crisis Fund delivers the swift, life-saving humanitarian aid a child needs to survive an emergency. And, by becoming an emergency monthly donor, you can multiply your impact with the sustained support a child needs to heal, recover and build a brighter future after crisis.