Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda threatens children’s lives
A deadly Ebola outbreak is unfolding across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, where the World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of 24 May 2026, more than 900 cases and 220 suspected deaths have already been reported in the DRC, with additional cases confirmed in Uganda – highlighting the virus’s extremely high mortality rate.
Children are especially vulnerable, not only to the virus itself, which has no widely approved treatment for this strain, but to the wider impacts, including disrupted health care, loss of caregivers, stigma and increased protection risks. In eastern DRC, ongoing insecurity, population movement and limited access are increasing the risk of further spread, making rapid response critical to prevent more lives from being lost.
UNICEF is deploying a rapid response, having mobilised nearly 50 tonnes of essential supplies – including soap, water purification tables and personal protective equipment – and working alongside partners to contain the outbreak. But urgent support is needed to scale up efforts and reach children and their families before the situation worsens.
Every second, we’re racing to reach children in emergencies with lifesaving care. We can only be there with your help.
From Gaza to Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine and beyond, children can’t wait for lifesaving support. With the help of people like you, UNICEF is there before, during, and after emergencies – delivering critical support and supplies including safe water, lifesaving nutrition and medical care to children who need it most. But the scale of need is growing, with over 473 million children – more than one in five globally – caught in brutal conflicts around the world.
2,200+
More than 2,200 children have been reported killed or injured since the escalation of violence in the Middle East in February.
390,000
More than 390,000 children have been displaced since the escalation of violence in Lebanon.
1.6 million
Years of conflict have left over 1.6 million children lacking access to safe water services in Ukraine.
As violence surges across the Middle East, more than 2,200 children have been killed and injured, and millions more are displaced and at risk. In Iran and Lebanon, the crisis has pushed families into survival mode. Families in Gaza are finding it even harder to afford the essentials as prices for food, fuel and medicine skyrocket. The situation for children has never been more urgent. This is why your generosity today matters. It starts with you. Please make a tax-deductible gift before 30 June.
Donate to Children in Crisis Before 30 June
Children can’t wait for lifesaving support. Make your end of financial year tax-deductible donation before 30 June to provide children in emergencies with the essential healthcare, nutrition and clean water they urgently need.
In places like Gaza, families are being pushed to the brink. Your tax-deductible gift can help UNICEF reach them with lifesaving support.
Aya is a mother of nine in Gaza who lost her husband during the war. Now displaced and living in a tent, Aya carries the full responsibility of caring for her children alone – amid displacement, illness, and loss.
Several of Aya’s children require urgent medical care. Her eight-year-old daughter, Abeer, needs surgery due to an injury she received during the war, and another child, who has Down syndrome, requires specialised care – an impossible task in overcrowded and unsafe living conditions.
"Living in a tent is extremely difficult. There is no hygiene, no privacy, and everything – food, clothes, bedding – is mixed with sand."
Right now, families like Aya’s are desperate for help. With the end of financial year approaching, you have a powerful opportunity to act. As a 100 per cent donor-funded organisation, it is only with the generosity of people like you that we can scale up our response for children in emergencies around the world, in places like Gaza and beyond. With your tax-deductible gift today, UNICEF can reach more children in crisis with immediate and long-term support, no matter what.
Donate to Children in Crisis Before 30 June
Children can’t wait for lifesaving support. Make your end of financial year tax-deductible donation before 30 June to provide children in emergencies with the essential healthcare, nutrition and clean water they urgently need.
How will my donation help children?
Your gift will help our teams on the ground reach more children and families around the world, wherever the need is greatest. From ready-to-use therapeutic food and water purification tablets to lifesaving vaccines, tax-deductible donations like yours could help us provide immediate and long-term assistance to every child, no matter who they are or where they live.
- $100 could help provide 198 sachets of Plumpy'Nut®, a therapeutic paste. Just three sachets a day for six weeks can help a child recover from severe malnutrition.
- $150 could help provide 31,462 water purification tablets to create safe drinking water for 338 children for a month.
- $500 could help provide 1,380 vaccine doses to protect children against preventable diseases.
With a monthly donation, you can make an even bigger impact by giving children in emergencies the ongoing support needed to rebuild their futures.
- 78¢on average, 78 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went directly to helping children in need, including long-term programs, emergency response and community education.
- 22¢on average, 15 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went to essential fundraising costs that helped us generate more impact for children, 7 cents went to admin costs, such as keeping your personal data safe.
How do we use each dollar donated?
