Complex Crisis, Broken Childhood: The situation for children affected by conflict & fragility in the Central Sahel

The complex crisis spanning Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso is one of the fastest growing, most rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situations in the world. In the Central Sahel, nearly 5 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Intensifying violence has forcibly displaced more than 900,000 children. Hundreds of thousands have had their schools closed and education disrupted due to the ongoing insecurity. Many more are living without adequate access to food or critical health and nutrition services.

World Vision has been on the ground, responding to the immediate and long term needs of children, families and communities in Mali and Niger since 1982 and 1995 respectively. In our daily work, we are witnessing the immense risk the crisis poses for the future of an entire generation of children.

The time to act to protect the children of the Central Sahel is now. As global leaders and national decision makers meet at the High-Level Humanitarian Event on the Central Sahel on 20 October 2020, World Vision calls for urgent actions to address the grave situation for girls and boys.