Child War is a group of independent humanitarian organizations
which work together to help children and young people affected by
armed conflict.
Their goal is the protection, development and survival rights for
children who are living with or recovering from the effects of armed
conflict.

War Child International has been working in
Afghanistan, Burundi, Chechnya, Colombia, DR
Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sri
Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, West Bank and Gaza.

War Child International implements projects
according to the following themes
•Child protection: to protect children and young
people against the consequences of armed conflict.
•Education: to enable children and young people's
access to education.
•Justice: to ensure children and young people's
access to justice when their rights are violated.
•Livelihoods: to build sustainable local livelihoods
that address children and young people's
fundamental needs.
•Psychosocial: to stimulate children and young
people's own psychological and social development.

HISTORY
The organization was founded in the UK in 1993. by British filmmakers Bill Leeson and David Wilson when they
returned from covering the war in former Yugoslavia. Shocked by what they had seen, they raised enough
money to return later that year with a convoy and mobile bakery to help provide for the children affected by
the conflict.

The War Child family soon grew as War Child Holland was formed in 1994 and War
Child Canada started in 1998. Followed by War child US, Ireland and Australia.
Since its founding, War Child has achieved many successes. Hundreds of
thousands of children have been reached with War Child programs in a large
number of warzones around the world

MUSIC
- War Child created a first
album 'Help’ that was
launched in 1995 in order to
raise money and awareness
for the children affected by
the bloody conflicts in the
Balkans.
- Since then they have been
using music as a way to
raise funds and awareness
as well as a tool for therapy.
Indeed the organization
uses music to reinforce the
psychological and social
development and the
welfare of the children.
-Through music the children
learn to express their
emotions, escape their daily
lives and learn respect for
one another.

Professor Nigel Osborne delivering one of his pioneering music therapy sessions for
traumatized children in Sarajevo.

Their main goal:
- Providing medical care, counseling
to girls who have been the victims of
sexual violence.
- Creating safe heaven for children to
escape the danger of life on the
streets.
- Rebuilding schools destroyed by the
war and getting kids out of the army
and to school.
- Helping children get their voices
heard and their rights met.

THEIR APROACH
- The organization’s approach is
different than the traditional need-
based approach, it is a right-based
approach. They help meet the
immediate needs, but it is part of a
bigger program where they are also
helping the children to campaign
and lobby to make sure that the
local, national and international
government are held responsible
long after the camera have gone
away.
-Try and get the community
involved in protecting the children.
-Base their projects on the
children’s wishes.
- Will not portray the children as
helpless victims.

-War child international is divided between Australia, Canada Holland Ireland, UK and US.
- All of the organizations are independent, autonomous and anonymous. But they work according to
the same values.
- Each country specializing in some particular aspect of the aid. Thus the different branches of the
organization can work in different countries.

Examples of country
specificities.
HOLLAND CANADA:
• Specialized in helping the • focuses on the protection of
psychosocial needs of children who children’s rights
have suffered from war and/or • Improving access to education,
conflict situations by using creative strengthening livelihoods and
building capacity throughout war-
arts such as crafts, music or even affected communities around the
sports. world.
•
• The idea is to unit children who • A vital component of War Child
have been driven apart because of Canada is the development of
war, in order to contribute to a strong partnerships with local
communities and organizations.
peaceful society. They believe it can deliver
effective development projects
through support to local
community-based initiatives, to
foster self-sufficiency.

Children in Sudan grow up in very unstable conditions. Malnutrition, disease, poor education and permanent
insecurity have a grave effect on great numbers of children.
Any children have lost one or both parents to the war or have been separated while the family fled from the
violence. Families have great difficulties to make a living, and more often than not children have to join in hard
labor for the family to be able to survive.
War Child has developed an extensive and easily accessible program. In close cooperation with local communities
and organizations.
War Child organizes a wide array of activities: large-scale play days for children, informative events for the
community, education of youth groups, discussion groups for parents, youngsters and children, and training of
teachers.
Community groups are also taught to take upon them the responsibility of addressing protection issues of
children. Such as child labor, violence among the family, youth unemployment…

BUILDING THE RESILIENCE OF YOUTH
Young people, living without meaningful adult guidance and desperate to meet their basic needs, encounter many risks:
substance abuse, involvement in criminal and military activities, abuse by community members, exploitation by
employers, and ill health.
To mitigate the dangers faced by young people, and to bring a level of normalcy to their lives, War Child has established
eight youth centres in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps on the outskirts of El Geneina and two in El Geneina
town, West Darfur. The centres offer a protective environment in which both young men and women can engage in
meaningful activities.
Many youth in the camp had their education interrupted, often for years. The centres provide accelerated learning
courses in numeracy and literacy. Alongside these courses, the centres provide life skills workshops in conflict resolution,
self-protection, health, civic engagement and gender-based violence awareness and prevention. To help youth avoid
dangerous and exploitative work, War Child offers vocational training opportunities for young people. The courses teach
marketable skills such as masonry and construction, or skills that will enhance household economies such as food
preservation. The young people themselves are given leadership roles at the centre and are encouraged to organize
recreational activities such as team sports and music. These activities were requested by the youth to help them forget
the harsh day-to-day activities in the camp and the horrific violence that forced them there.

War child is an organization concerned with the durability of their programs.
This is why War Child educates youth groups and community leaders. This in order to stimulate the
durability and effectiveness of their programs. The groups consist of ten to twenty youngsters of about
sixteen years old.
Thus, should War Child leave Sudan, the groups will be able to continue and follow up on its work.
The youth groups are educated in management and organization, budgeting, organizing events and the
use of creative activities during events. As well as the education, War Child supports communities to
develop safe locations for children, where these events can be held.