UNICEF in Africa
UNICEF works with partners across the continent to reach children with the support and services they need to stay healthy, educated, protected and respected.
How to help children in Africa
Providing a better future for Africa's children and youth is one of UNICEF's top priorities. Across the continent, children face overlapping challenges driven by conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks, food insecurity and public health emergencies.
Many African countries and communities continue to grapple with the effects of violence, climate change and recurrent disease outbreaks, threatening hard-won progress for children. Too many children lack sustained access to nutritious food, safe water, sanitation, education and protection and other essentials needed for healthy development.
With a presence in all 54 African nations, UNICEF partners with governments, local NGOs, community groups and others to deliver lifesaving and life-sustaining services, protect children’s rights and strengthen systems to support safe, healthy and dignified childhoods.
Explore UNICEF's work in Africa
UNICEF programming reaches vulnerable children and families in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Here are just a few examples of what UNICEF is doing in specific countries:
Burkina Faso
Armed conflicts and violence in Burkina Faso have caused widespread displacement, straining critical systems and weakening health infrastructure, disrupting education and limiting access to food and water. UNICEF's community-based approach in Burkina Faso aims to deliver lifesaving assistance and essential services, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
Learn more: UNICEF in Burkina Faso
Democratic Republic of the Congo
There are severe humanitarian needs and protection concerns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to ongoing conflict, insecurity, displacement, climate shocks and disease outbreaks. Millions of children live in precarious conditions with limited access to safe water, health care and other essential services. Grave violations against children, including acts of sexual violence, are pervasive. UNICEF works with partners to deliver lifesaving assistance and to advocate for the protection of children's rights but more funding is urgently needed to scale and sustain critical programs.
Learn more: How UNICEF supports children in the DRC
Ethiopia
Conflict, climate shocks and public health emergencies threaten the health, safety and well-being of many children in Ethiopia. UNICEF works with partners in the country to treat severely malnourished children, enable students to return to school, provide mental health support, improve access to safe water and health care and more.
Learn more: UNICEF's work in Ethiopia
Libya
UNICEF focuses on protecting and educating children, including children on the move, strengthening the health system and addressing water scarcity, among other humanitarian priorities.
Learn more: UNICEF programs for children in Libya
Mali
Children face many hardships in Mali. Prolonged conflict, food insecurity, displacement and climate shocks have deepened humanitarian needs, particularly in the Sahel region. UNICEF continues to deliver lifesaving assistance while supporting nutrition, education, child protection and resilience-building efforts for children and families.
Learn more: UNICEF in Mali
Nigeria
Lingering conflict and insecurity in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the north, have had devastating consequences for children and families. Preventable and treatable illnesses, malnutrition and limited access to health care continue to place children and mothers at risk. Unsafe water and poor sanitation are leading factors in many preventable deaths.
Learn more: How UNICEF is helping children in Nigeria
Somalia
In Somalia, like other countries in the Horn of Africa, severe drought and other climate shocks have devastated livelihoods and food systems, fueling food insecurity and child malnutrition. Armed conflict and displacement have left millions of children vulnerable and in need of humanitarian assistance.
Learn more: How UNICEF is supporting children in Somalia
South Sudan
Years of conflict, economic instability, climate shocks and disease outbreaks have had a profound impact on children in South Sudan. Overlapping crises have driven large-scale displacement, leaving many children without access to education, health care, nutrition and protection. Malnutrition rates among children remain extremely high.
Learn more: How UNICEF is helping children and families in need in South Sudan
Sudan
A protracted, brutal civil war in Sudan is endangering the lives and well-being of millions of children and families. The country is now the world's largest displacement crisis, with 5 million children uprooted. Famine has been confirmed in parts of the country, with others at risk as food insecurity continues. Despite insecurity and other challenges, UNICEF teams have remained on the ground since the beginning, delivering urgently needed supplies and services alongside partners, while continuing to advocate for an end to hostilities and safe humanitarian access to some of the worst-affected areas.
Related: UNICEF Takes Action in Sudan as Crisis Deepens
How to help Africa's children
UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions from donor governments, civil society groups, businesses and others — including individuals — to sustain critical programs and to maximize impact for children in need.
Give a child safe water
In emergencies, water supplies often become contaminated, heightening the risks of waterborne illnesses. A UNICEF Inspired Gift of water purification supplies helps ensure children and families have access to safe drinking water during emergencies and crises.
Provide a severely malnourished child with lifesaving treatment
There is a child malnutrition emergency in parts of Africa driven by conflict, climate shocks, displacement and food insecurity.
UNICEF is working with partners to reach more of these children and treat them with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food. With a UNICEF Inspired Gift of two months' supply of RUTF, you can restore health and bring back hope for a listless child.
Support children's education
With Africa home to the world’s largest population of children and young people, the time to act to transform education in Africa is now.
Learn more: How UNICEF is tackling learning poverty — and how you can help
