Help Children in Tuvalu
UNICEF supports resilience building and helps advance child-focused development in this small island nation, where climate change threatens the future of every child.
Why UNICEF works in Tuvalu
Tuvalu, a Pacific archipelago about halfway between Australia and Hawaii and the fourth smallest country in the world — with a population of some 11,500, including 5,000 children — is uniquely vulnerable to climate change.
One of the most climate-threatened nations, Tuvalu is likely to be the first to become uninhabitable due to rising sea levels. The escalating frequency of flooding, droughts and other climate-induced disasters impacts children’s lives and family livelihoods while disrupting access to basic services.
UNICEF Tuvalu works with the government and other local and regional partners to support emergency response and to advance longer-term solutions for improving living conditions for children and families. UNICEF supports climate adaptation and disaster resilience building measures while working to improve access to health care and education, particularly in isolated island communities. Program work and partnerships are managed through UNICEF's Pacific Islands regional office.
Read on for more information about UNICEF Tuvalu-supported interventions in child health, education, disaster risk reduction and other key areas.
Challenges facing children in Tuvalu
Climate impacts are a major contributor to many of the challenges children and families in Tuvalu face. Despite the nation's upper-middle income economy, there is also food insecurity and poor access to health care and education on remote islands, where the logistics of delivering support and protection can be difficult.
Specific issues that are top of mind for UNICEF and partners in Tuvalu include:
Sea-level rise, natural disasters and other climate impacts
Tuvalu is extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion and prone to increasingly severe cyclones, storm surges and other extreme weather events. Flooding is happening more and more as current shifts have intensified; when water recedes, it takes bigger and bigger chunks of land along with it.
By 2050, children across the Pacific region are projected to be eight times more likely to be exposed to heat waves and twice as likely to face wildfires by 2050.
These and other climate-driven and environmental threats directly affect children’s health, safety and food security; when disaster strikes, children are disproportionately affected. A lack of disaster-resilient infrastructure and limited emergency preparedness capacity further heighten their risks.
"The sea keeps us alive, but at the same time, it slowly devours us; it devours our memories and our culture bit by bit, and that scares me," says Grace, a 24-year-old climate activist. "We need the world's help."
For a detailed look at the projected impacts of climate change on children in the Pacific and other regions of the world, see UNICEF State of the World's Children 2024 report.
Food insecurity
Limited agricultural capacity, reliance on imported food and the impact of climate change on subsistence farming and fishing have left many children and families in Tuvalu food insecure. Malnutrition and limited dietary diversity pose significant risks to children in the country.
Isolation
Tuvalu is comprised of nine small coral islands, including three reef islands and six atolls, located in the West-Central Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati and northwest of Fiji. The nation's geographic remoteness affects and often constrains access to services, limits economic opportunities and complicates emergency response efforts. The outer islands are particularly affected by transportation and communication barriers.
Health care access
Climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue and typhoid are on the rise, while recurrent climate disasters often disrupt the delivery of health services. Other challenges include limited medical infrastructure, a shortage of skilled health workers and difficulty accessing specialized care for residents of the outer islands.
Across the Pacific, island nations are facing a triple burden of malnutrition which includes high rates of undernutrition, including stunting and wasting, which undermines child survival and development; rising rates of child obesity and children being overweight, a contributor to non-communicable diseases (NCDs); and chronic micronutrient deficiencies, such as anemia and vitamin A deficiency, which impair immunity and learning.
Access to education
While enrollment in basic education is relatively high in Tuvalu and other Pacific Island nations, significant challenges remain, including inadequate school facilities, a chronic shortage of qualified teachers and barriers to access for those living on remote islands. Children with disabilities face additional exclusion from educational opportunities.
UNICEF programs in Tuvalu: focus on climate adaptation, disaster resilience, equity for children
UNICEF works with its partners in Tuvalu to help communities overcome or mitigate challenges that affect the daily lives of children and families and to help the nation adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Disaster resilience and climate adaptation programs consider how climate impacts are affecting water, sanitation, agriculture, infrastructure and disease control. Priorities include building climate resilience at the community level.
In one UNICEF-supported climate project, sandbags have been placed around the perimeter of an area known as The Reclaimed Land to protect it from further erosion by the sea. The spot now serves as both a playground for children and a fishing spot for the community.
Efforts to strengthen systems and shore up social services prioritize delivering reliable primary health services to remote/island populations and ensuring access to quality education in Tuvalu and across the Pacific region.
Equity‑focused programs aim to serve the most disadvantaged children, especially those in remote islands, through the promotion of equitable, high‑quality social services.
Read about UNICEF’s emergency response and climate resilience programs
Learn more about UNICEF programs supporting children in the Pacific region
Related: UNICEF in the Maldives
How UNICEF is making a difference for children and communities in Tuvalu
Ongoing interventions in Tuvalu span all major program areas:
Health and nutrition
UNICEF works with the government and other partners in Tuvalu and across the Pacific to improve policies and planning around strengthening health systems to ensure that more children, including adolescents and women are benefiting from equitable access to and use of quality high-impact health and nutrition services and practices, including in emergencies.
Priorities include:
strengthening health worker capacity and health supply chain systems
revitalizing routine childhood immunization services
strengthening maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health care
increasing awareness of child nutrition and access to screening and counseling
improving diets and food environments through strengthening school nutrition programs and food system policies
preventing obesity in children
conducting community-based health outreach in isolated islands
promoting breastfeeding and positive parenting
Learn more about how UNICEF supports maternal health
Learn more about UNICEF’s global nutrition programs
Improving access to education
In education, UNICEF works with governments and other partners throughout the Pacific region to help make sure education reaches the most vulnerable, that systems work effectively for children, and that no child is left behind.
Tuvalu programs and partnership efforts prioritize:
- digital learning tools: integrating remote and digital learning as part of teaching and learning, including climate-resilient and disaster‑risk strategies
- climate‑resilient schools: improving learning facilities to withstand climate impacts and implementing disaster risk reduction measures in schools
- teacher training: developing and training the early childhood education teacher workforce
- equity for girls, children with disabilities: ensuring inclusive learning environments and adequate facilities to support girls' menstrual health and hygiene needs, a key factor in keeping them in school
Education transforms lives and breaks the cycle of poverty that traps so many children. UNICEF is committed to making sure every child has access to a quality education, no matter who or where they are. Learn more about UNICEF’s education programs for every child.
Protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse
Rates of violence against children in Pacific Island countries are among the highest in the world. UNICEF Pacific aims to protect children against all forms of violence — including neglect, abuse, exploitation, separation from parents and other forms of harm — by strengthening child protection systems.
Across the region, UNICEF works in partnership with national governments and civil society organizations to build capacities within key sectors (social welfare, judiciary, police, health and education) to protect children, while also working to build commitment among partners to plan and implement actions that address violence against children.
In Tuvalu, specific focus areas include:
- legal advocacy: supporting the development and adoption of child-sensitive policies and legal frameworks, putting children's rights at the center of fiscal and governance systems
- birth registration: improving legal documentation for every child as a first line of defense against rights violations — especially critical for children who become displaced by flooding or other natural disaster
- psychosocial support: improving access to mental health and psychosocial support, helping to develop comprehensive, community-based mental health plans for adolescents and caregivers and addressing the urgent need for services in remote areas and areas where climate impacts are causing stress
Learn more about UNICEF’s child protection efforts around the world.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts
In the area of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), UNICEF works in Tuvalu to improve household access to safe water, promote hygiene through school-based hygiene education programs and help build sustainable infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.
Learn more about UNICEF’s water and sanitation programs
Learn more about hygiene education in schools
An uncertain future for Tuvalu
More than half of Tuvalu — total land mass is roughly 10 square miles — is projected to be inundated by tidal surges by 2050, and 95 percent will be underwater at high tide by the year 2100.
With no higher ground to move to, the government of Tuvalu is looking at migration as a solution to this existential crisis. In June 2025, when Australia offered a special climate visa by random ballot, 4,000 Tuvaluans applied for only 280 spots. Only those over age 18 were eligible.
In schools, older students are taught about migration in a practical way; they learn how to navigate the process, including which forms to fill out, how to do so, and what to expect in their new societies.
Faith, 15, is one youth committed to staying. "Our house is flooded about once a week," she says. "But even though climate change threatens us, this is my home. I won't migrate away because Tuvalu is my country, and this is where I want to live. My family thinks I should become a doctor, but I would rather be a lawyer so I can use the law to fight for Tuvalu."
Pacific Island countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change, with children paying the highest price. Read more about how climate change is threatening children’s futures — and UNICEF's response to the global climate crisis
How to help children in Tuvalu: Donate
A donation to UNICEF USA directly supports UNICEF programs for children in need in Tuvalu and around the world. Unrestricted giving — a contribution that is not earmarked for any specific country or emergency — is the best way to optimize cost efficiency and impact.
Supporters can help UNICEF reach more children in need with a one-time tax-deductible donation or monthly gift, by starting a fundraiser or by helping to advocate for children on social media.
Donate to UNICEF USA, or learn more about ways to give
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do children in Tuvalu need help?
Tuvalu is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion and frequent cyclones threaten children's health, education and safety. Geographic isolation and limited resources make it challenging for families to access essential services like clean water, health care and schooling. These challenges disproportionately affect children and require targeted support.
What is UNICEF doing in Tuvalu?
UNICEF is supporting the government of Tuvalu in strengthening child protection systems, improving access to education and health care and ensuring safe water and sanitation through climate-resilient infrastructure. UNICEF also works on digital learning initiatives, community hygiene awareness and emergency preparedness for natural disasters.
How can I make a donation to support Tuvalu?
Your donations support UNICEF's programs for vulnerable children and families in Tuvalu and worldwide. Contributions help fund programs that deliver clean water, nutritious food, education materials, vaccines and more. Your support also ensures UNICEF can provide humanitarian relief when disaster strikes. Donations can be made as one-time gifts, monthly support or by hosting your own fundraiser.
Is my donation to UNICEF tax-deductible?
Yes. Donations to UNICEF are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by U.S. law. After donating, you will receive a receipt that you can use for tax purposes.
Does UNICEF provide aid only in emergencies?
No. While UNICEF responds to emergencies, it also supports long-term development. In Tuvalu, UNICEF focuses on strengthening systems and infrastructure so that all children, especially those in remote communities, can thrive every day, not just during times of crisis.
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