Child sponsorship

Exposed to dead bodies, witness to acts of violence - or even attacked themselves - children living in conflict often develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the occupied Palestinian territory, ActionAid is providing psychosocial support to help children and their families recover from the damaging effects of trauma. 

Growing up as a girl in Gaza is terrifying. Many are traumatised and missing out on education because of the ongoing conflict and a worsening electricity crisis. The dark streets are too dangerous to get to school in early mornings and there’s not enough light to do homework by in the evenings. As we launch our Christmas appeal to make sure no girl grows up afraid, read our interview with some brave girls in Gaza to see how you can bring hope for the future to girls at risk in the world's toughest places.

As children in the UK settle back into the new school term, we've launched a film featuring actor Jodie Whittaker, comedian and actor Hugh Dennis, footballer Steven Caulker, singer Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine and comedian Kelly Convey. Here they share their fondest school memories as part of our back to school appeal, calling on the public to give children living in some of the poorest countries the chance to go to school through child sponsorship.

On the frontline against sexual violence in Zanzibar are four incredible women, dedicated to protecting women and girls who are vulnerable to abuse. Meet the police sergeant, the women's rights activist, the lawyer and the ActionAid shelter coordinator who are supporting survivors of sexual violence and helping to bring their attackers to justice. 

You might know actor Fay Ripley as the determined and courageous Jenny in the much-loved TV drama "Cold Feet". She's also the author of several cookbooks and a proud mother to two very generous children. Here she shares with us the reasons for why her family sponsors not just one but two children through ActionAid, and describes her visit to Tanzania to witness our work first-hand, in this exclusive interview.

As Christmas and the season of goodwill approaches (and because we wanted to shine a light on our wonderful child sponsors), we've released some exciting new figures showing the most generous cities in the UK, based on the number of children sponsored across Africa, Asia and South America. Read on to find out the results.