In any crisis, children are always the most vulnerable.

Sometimes crises strike, sometimes they creep, and sometimes they simmer to a boiling point. Right now, the world is boiling with complex crises and conflicts compounded by global terrorism, organized crime and political instability that fuels unprecedented and widespread violence. In this turbulent global landscape, children are always the most vulnerable.

Many will remain in their communities and recover. But with rising conflict, climate volatility and economic inequality, more children and families every day are leaving their homes — as internally displaced persons, refugees or migrants. Over 100 million people worldwide are on the move, half of them children.

By the end of 2022, worldwide, there were...

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Between 2008 and 2023, ChildFund’s humanitarian responses reached 2 million migrants, refugees and internally displaced people directly. Over 151,000 of them were children. The numbers are growing, and ChildFund is evolving its approaches to rise to the increasing challenges these children and families face.

"We have been walking with our children in the rainforest day and night, struggling. ... We have faith, and we believe we will provide a better future for them."

— A father in ChildFund's Protected Passage program

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Our Approach: Centering Protection for the Most Vulnerable

ChildFund’s holistic approach for children in crisis unfolds across the migration cycle, prioritizing children’s protection and inclusion at every stage — from before departure to when they’ve made the difficult decision to leave their homes to when they finally put down roots somewhere new or try again back at home. As we respond in crises, we also collaborate with governments, communities and civil society to facilitate systems that prioritize sustained stability and protection for children, no matter where they are in their journey.

From the earliest program planning stages, to ensure sustainable impact around an issue as fluid as the needs of children facing or experiencing displacement, we engage local authorities and stakeholders at all levels — community, national and international. This buy-in stabilizes the processes we set in motion to withstand staff transitions and other challenges these dynamic environments bring.

In communities where ChildFund’s local partner organizations already implement programs, our humanitarian response strategy is proactive: Our local partners apply approaches that reduce violence at the community level, especially during emergency onset. In Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, our PICMCA program to prevent irregular migration helped young people expand their agency and contribute within their communities by documenting their child protection concerns and engaging meaningfully with decision makers. Their civic engagement saw a 24% increase by the end of the program.

When crisis erupts, we deploy our StopGate programming to address immediate protection needs. This strategy strengthens our response within existing operational areas such as Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique, while allowing us to selectively expand our response to large-scale crises beyond these areas through partnerships. Our participation in the humanitarian cluster system with other responding organizations also ensures that we are well-positioned, coordinated and resourced to ensure effective, relevant responses.

Because children’s needs are often sidelined in humanitarian responses, ChildFund builds Child-Friendly Spaces as places where children can learn and play in safety, with access to psychological first aid to address any mental health issues that arise, while their adults seek the resources they need. We also provide mental health support for caregivers and distribute emergency supplies like dignity kits. The aim is to stabilize the situation and prevent harm during low- to medium-scale emergencies.

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When crisis leads to significant displacement or long-term challenges that require a more comprehensive and sustained approach, StopGate gradually transitions to Children on the Move programming. ChildFund defines “children on the move” as all children directly and indirectly impacted by migration and displacement due to climate- and human-induced crises.

This set of interventions is designed to ensure focused and equitable protection for the most vulnerable and socially disadvantaged populations experiencing displacement. In transit, our programs establish safe spaces as a first-line response in settlements for displaced populations, including both mixed and gender-specific safe spaces for young people. Promoting community safety and increasing awareness about the risks of irregular migration is another safety-related strategy. Our Protected Passage program aimed, among other things, to strengthen or create safe spaces for children and to facilitate schools as safe spaces where children could connect with peers.

From safe spaces, we move toward long-term psychosocial programs and offering specialized protection packages, including legal aid, gender-based violence support and child protection services tailored to the unique needs of displaced and mobile children and families, no matter the cause.

Interventions addressing Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) in this context are key for identifying and prioritizing vulnerable groups, including young people at risk, women, survivors of gender-based violence and LGBTQ+ migrants. Tailored approaches, such as mobile outreach and roving teams, engage hard-to-reach populations, especially migrants outside the shelter system. Gender-focused approaches are incorporated into program design and implementation. Additional strategies include removing financial barriers through no-cost programming, coordinating efforts with public entities and NGOs to influence local practices, and advocacy efforts that lead to systemic changes, such as promoting children's rights and establishing educational boards.

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When children and families are ready to reintegrate after arriving in a new community or returning home, our support focuses on economic recovery, integration into educational systems and protection. We offer programs for reintegrating children and families in two countries. In Ecuador, now home to about 871,000 migrants, we work with people who have arrived from Colombia or Venezuela; in Uganda, we work in the Palorinya Refugee Settlement to support Sudanese and Congolese people who have fled conflict in their home countries. Local conditions play an important part in defining the design of both countries’ programs.

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We help drive systems change through robust collaboration and advocacy, bridging humanitarian response and sustainable development. Leveraging ChildFund's extensive experience and partnerships, we influence local and national policies to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable populations. Our approach ensures that the rights and well-being of displaced children and families are central to both immediate response and long-term recovery efforts.

Across all three programs addressing the migration cycle, a critical shared element is their unique localization strategy, implemented effectively in highly complex humanitarian contexts. This approach involves working closely with relevant authorities and stakeholders at multiple levels, from the community level to the national and international levels. The programs facilitate communication and cooperation among local partners and key actors, building relationships that extend beyond the programs' duration. Direct community engagement further increased accessibility and acceptability, ensuring that the programs effectively meet the needs of children and youth. All initiatives embody a holistic view of migration, focused not only on the young people — the core population of interest — but also on their families, their teachers, their communities and other stakeholders who can help build supportive structures and promote access to education and livelihoods.

Our work with children in crisis is gender sensitive and socially inclusive. Throughout all our efforts, ChildFund commits to:

Vulnerable, marginalized communities  

In Mexico between 2021 and 2023, ChildFund supported 2,118 people from the LGBTQI+ community and people living with disabilities.

Supporting gender equality

In Ecuador, we work to improve access to and quality of education for internally displaced people, especially girls.

Localization in protection

In Uganda, one of the aims of protection work is to facilitate sustainable local child protection. With support from ChildFund and other partners, local organizations built their capacity to do this within their communities.

Mitigating climate change

A pilot program in Ethiopia has developed climate-friendly technology for agriculture and livestock production, strengthening the livelihoods of 1,600 households in its first year. 

Community-led child protection

In Guatemala, local partners facilitate a community-led, power-sharing child protection process, amid and despite prolonged crisis.

Holistic child protection in emergencies

Our response to internal displacement caused by the conflict in northern Ethiopia included child protection, nutrition support, education and creation of safe spaces for children, supporting nearly 13,000 people between 2021 and 2024.

Protection, health and education

Our holistic program for migrants traveling through Honduras offers education and safe play spaces for children in shelters, community-based psychosocial and mental health support, support for frontline workers at the southeastern border, maternal and child health services including immunizations, and prevention and response for gender-based violence.

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Meet Our Experts

Radwa el Manssy

Radwa el Manssy

Director of Protecting Children in Crisis

Radwa el Manssy has over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian sector. Known for a collaborative approach and strategic mindset, el Manssy manages a comprehensive humanitarian portfolio aligned with global standards. She advances global migrant, refugee and internal displacement humanitarian protection programming, focusing on the needs of vulnerable children, youth and women. In her previous role as the Child Protection Coordinator for the International Rescue Committee, el Manssy ensured protection mainstreaming for the Sesame Workshop funded by the McArthur Foundation’s first 100&Change competition.

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Jesús Silva

Jesús Silva

Advisor II, Humanitarian

Jesús Silva is a humanitarian and development Professional with over 12 years of experience in the field. He has held key positions such as Program Director at the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of Ecuador and National Economic Inclusion Coordinator at HIAS, as well as Programs Director at Integralia Consultores in Mexico. At ChildFund, he has spearheaded proposal development for humanitarian and refugee projects as a Business Development Advisor working across multiple countries. Jesús holds a master's degree in Public Administration from the London School of Economics (LSE), a B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Economics from ITESM, and additional diplomas in Advanced Research Methods from Oxford University and Strategic Political Analysis from CIDE. He has published in Foreign Affairs Latin America, Nexos and The Public Sphere Journal.

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