Impact Report 2024: More impact for more children

Written by

Today, Help a Child published the Impact Report 2024. We are deeply grateful for the impact that we and our partners were able to make. In 2024, we supported more than three times as many children compared to 2020.

It was not an easy time to work, with the world in turmoil and crises such as conflicts, environmental threats, resource scarcity, and much more hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. Communities, especially children, paid an unacceptable price. Meanwhile, in many Western countries, support for development cooperation and international solidarity is declining.

“Our work is often two steps forward, one step back. But we can look back on a strategic period in which we were able to make great progress and realize more impact for more children in need,” says Andries Schuttinga, CEO of Help a Child. “Thanks to the generous support of supporters, donors, business partners, churches, schools, volunteers, foundations, and other network partners, we were able to provide a future for children in need.”

Our Impact Report is an overview of our activities and finances and tells our story. A story that will bring you to different places in the world where we help hundreds of thousands of children to grow out of poverty towards a promising future.

A few highlights from the past four years
The past four years have brought numerous highlights. Below, we share a selection of key moments that reflect the impact we’ve achieved together:

  • More support for young children: In 2024, Help a Child supported more than three times as many children compared to 2020. In 2024, we supported 80,054 children (0-7 years); in 2020, we supported 26,335 children.
  • Scaling up ECD centres: We continued to scale up children’s access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres. In 2024, we supported 454 ECD centres.
  • Income growth: our income significantly increased from € 14.8 million (2023) to € 23.9 million (2024).
  • CHS-certification: We achieved CHS-certification, the highest quality level attainable in our programmes.
  • Charity shops: Almost 680,000 products were sold in seven shops in The Netherlands in 2024, thanks to contributions from more than 500 volunteers.
  • Leadership role: Help a Child became the DRA consortium lead for the South Sudan Joint Response (SSJR).

Find out more about our impact in the countries we work and the stories of hope!

Impact Report 2024

 

 

Empowering education with Climate Resilient Classrooms

Written by

In Wau, South Sudan, the start of a new school term signals more than just the return to classrooms, it marks a powerful step toward recovery and long-term resilience. With the support of the European Union, UNICEF’s Education in Emergencies initiative is restoring access to quality education for children affected by conflict and crisis.

This initiative, ‘Strengthening Access to Education in Wau County, Western Bahr El Ghazal State,’ is not only rebuilding schools, it’s rebuilding hope. Four newly designed Climate Resilient Classrooms, developed in partnership with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MOGEI) and UNICEF, provide safe, sustainable learning environments that can withstand climate challenges.
This investment creates a long-term impact: empowering communities, fostering stability, and offering children a chance to build a better future for themselves and South Sudan.

These new classrooms are more than just buildings; they are powerful symbols of hope, resilience, and progress, reflecting the community’s strength and commitment to a brighter educational future in Wau County.

Once burdened by deteriorating facilities, Bilpham Primary School is now on the verge of transformation, as a newly constructed classroom block, with inclusive features like a spacious veranda and accessibility ramp for students with disabilities, offers a fresh start and a promise of a better tomorrow.

 

 

Help a Child South Sudan staffs, SMOGEI officials, UNICEF and the PTAs stand in front of Block B of the Climate Resilient Classroom under construction at Bilpham primary school during their routine monitoring visit.

 

          

Educational supplies for 28,000 pupils of 58 schools

Written by

Wau – On 13th February 2025, Help a Child South Sudan, together with UNICEF, IOM and WFP, officially launched the flagging off of education supplies for the EU-funded project entitled ‘Access to Education, Livelihood and Peace’.

The project is a 2-year multi-thematic or multi-sectoral as it cuts across education, livelihood and peace. The partners supplied educational supplies for 58 schools in Western Bahr-el-Ghazal and Warrap States, targeting a total of 42,000 learners. The launch demonstrated their commitment to ensuring all schools and children receive the materials, with education stakeholders present as witnesses.

Pupils of Hai Kosti Girls Primary School standing in a line as they wait to receive the education supplies in front of the education officials and the PTAs/SMCs.

Education materials for free
Educational materials are essential for emergency education initiatives. In South Sudan, many parents cannot afford basic school supplies like notebooks, pens, and school bags. Providing these materials for free reduces the financial burden on parents and prevents student dropouts, supporting the government’s goal of achieving Universal Primary Education.

The Joint UN Partners Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Sayyiori, added: “More Engineers, Teachers, Professors, and Accountants will be coming out of these schools and children tomorrow. We are planting the seeds today by giving these materials and harvest will be realized in terms of their performances”.


Mr. Emmanuel Sayyiori handing over the education supplies to a learner.

Other components of the projects were ongoing and included the construction of Climate Resilient Classrooms (CRCs), training of teachers, PTAs/SMCs, school gardening and the provision of healthy school meals that made education lifesaving given its nutritious supplements that support the child’s health.

“We are attacking the problem from many directions” Mr. Emmanuel ambitiously added. He finally thanked the government for its continuous support in ensuring that the education of the children in the country was prioritized.

The truck loaded with education supplies leaves the venue with pupils and other education stakeholders lining from both sides to witness the flagging off of the supplies which will confirm the official launch.

          

Acute Crisis Joint Response

Written by

Over the past few months, South Sudan has been heavily affected by extreme floods. Many people have been displaced and are left without access to food and shelter. The humanitarian situation in South Sudan was already very worrying before the floods, and even more so now. The rainy season has become increasingly severe due to climate change, stretching communities’ ability to cope with the devastation, and in some cases causing permanent displacement of communities.

 

In order to respond to this humanitarian crisis, the @Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) was able to allocate € 800.000 for an acute response to provide life-saving support to communities in South Sudan affected by the floods. This project started in November 2024, and we want to reach 22.200 people with immediate help, by distributing packages of shelter/NFI supplies and by providing cash to families that have lost their food sources to flooding amid an already critical food insecurity situation. The distribution is currently ongoing, and the team has shared some pictures of the distribution of shelter/NFI supplies in Paguir and Mareang.

Help a Child is in the lead in this project, which will be implemented by @Tearfund and the South Sudanese organizations Africa Development Aid (ADA) and Coalition for Humanity.

More on this response funded by the DRA, you can read on their website.

Peace and empowerment through Boruboru

Written by

Help a Child South Sudan organized a 30-day ‘Peace and Back to School Campaign’ from 29th October to 28th November 2024 as part of the EU-funded UNICEF Education in Emergency (EiE) Project. The campaign, titled ‘Strengthening Access to Education in Wau County, Western Bahr El Ghazal State,’ aimed to promote peace, stability, and livelihoods within communities while encouraging youth, especially girls, to return to school in 2025.

A key component of this campaign was the use of Boruboru, a traditional South Sudanese dodgeball game that was professionalized for modern sports. This adaptation allowed the sport to become a powerful tool for community mobilization, blending physical activity with social advocacy. It was tailored to promote peace and the rights of women and girls through the integration of community engagement, speeches by key government officials, local authorities, and representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs).

     

The competition provided a platform for girls to showcase their talents, a significant step in challenging traditional gender roles and empowering girls. It also addressed the need for gender equality and inclusiveness in education, in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which emphasizes the right to education for all children, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or physical ability.

The success of Boruboru has attracted attention and admiration from Help a Child’s sister organizations in other countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, DRC, and Uganda. Through an exchange and learning program, these offices shared different approaches to social engagement and education, with Boruboru becoming a standout model for empowering girls and bridging social gaps. It has also gained recognition from the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sport in South Sudan, with discussions about making it one of the country’s unique sports.

Boruboru is becoming a standout model for empowering girls and bridging social gaps

Empowering girls
In conclusion, the Boruboru-based campaign not only achieved its goal of promoting peace and education but also contributed to the larger effort of empowering girls, challenging harmful cultural practices, and fostering a culture of inclusivity and equality.
Through sports, Help a Child South Sudan has made significant strides in both social engagement and education, helping to ensure that all children, particularly girls, have access to education and opportunities for growth.

For Help a Child South Sudan, this campaign has reinforced the importance of creating a holistic approach to education – one that goes beyond the classroom and encompasses the values of peace, safety, and equality. By implementing such initiatives, Help a Child aims to not only help children return to school but also ensure that they can thrive in an environment that nurtures their potential.

Moving forward, Help a Child South Sudan remains committed to strengthening these efforts and building on the momentum generated by the campaign, ensuring that every child in South Sudan has the opportunity to grow, learn, and contribute to the future of their communities.

   

It’s official! ECD national priority in Burundi

Written by

Help a Child Burundi and UNICEF launched the ‘Rêves des enfants’ project in the Kayanza District, Burundi, recently. Goal is to scale children’s access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) and prepare them for a future without malnutrition and in good health.

The combination of high malnutrition rates, limited access to health and educational services, and ongoing issues with child protection shows that there is an urgent need for a community-based ECD center in Kayanza. Fulgence Ndagijimana, Country Director of Help a Child Burundi explains: “It is an important step in promoting children’s well-being in Burundi. We want to offer vulnerable children not only an opportunity to survive but to thrive.”

Focus is on the first 1000 days of a child, giving them access to health, nutrition, protection and education.

The government is committed to increasing its budget for ECD at all levels, raising awareness of the need to improve children’s diets, and increasing formal education structures across the country to lay a solid foundation for sustainable and inclusive development and become a more efficient and prosperous society.

Malnutrition
Child health and development are a big problem in Burundi, especially in the Kayanza District, where malnutrition is very high. Burundi has a young population, with many children under six. Children still suffer from a lack of essential rights to health, nutrition, early learning and protection. Half of all children under five are stunted. Kayanza has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the country, at 62.9%. In addition, only 15% of preschool-age children attend preschool, which is mostly private and unaffordable for low-income families.

Consortium of Help a Child, Help Channel and SAD
Help a Child Burundi is the consortium’s lead and is responsible for the health and nutrition component. SAD is responsible for the protection and social behaviour change component, and Help Channel is responsible for the WASH component.

 

The first step towards promoting young children’s access to ECD on a national scale began in Kayanza with the launch of the ‘Rêves des enfants’ project, a joint project of UNICEF and Help a Child Burundi in consortium with Help Channel Burundi (HCB) and Social Action for Development (SAD). The project was launched on November 28, 2024, by the Ministry of Health, the office of the first lady, and the Kayanza province administration, in the presence of key partners.

Turakura Kids Rwanda: a new approach to ECD

Written by

In a pioneering move aimed at transforming the lives of vulnerable children in Rwanda, Help a Child launches Turakura Kids Rwanda.

This innovative program is designed to enhance early childhood development for children aged 0-7, focusing on providing quality education and creating safe environments. Help a Child is the first child-sponsoring organization to take this innovative step towards community work with a focus on children.

The name Turakura means ‘We grow and learn together’ in the Kinyarwanda language, and this reflects Rwanda’s strong communal culture and highlights the program’s emphasis on collective growth.

A brighter future for Rwanda’s children
With Turakura Kids Rwanda, Help a Child wants to make a lasting impact on Early Childhood Development for 25,000 children in the coming five years. With its focus on community empowerment, quality education, and child protection, the program aligns with Rwanda’s national priorities and the global goal of improving access to education for every child. “By ensuring that children are at the heart of development efforts, we are providing a future for children in need, their family and their entire community”, says Jean Claude Nshimiyimana, Country Director of Help a Child Rwanda. 

 

“Turakura Kids Rwanda is about empowering communities to create sustainable solutions that benefit their children today and in the future”

 

Key features of Turakura Kids Rwanda:

  • Community-centric approach – Turakura Kids Rwanda is rooted in the belief that sustainable change begins at the community level. The program encourages local participation in planning, decision-making, and implementation, ensuring that the needs of the children and their families are met in a way that is sustainable and that the needs of children are met after the project concludes. By bringing communities together, Turakura strengthens social cohesion and collective responsibility for children’s welfare. We also aim at increasing household income, allowing parents to be better able to take care of their kids.
  • Focus on Early Childhood Education – A critical aspect of the program is its focus on early childhood education, addressing the significant gaps in educational access for children under seven in Rwanda. To ensure that children have the opportunity to thrive, Turakura plans to construct six preschool facilities annually, totalling 30 over the next five years. These schools will provide quality education and safe spaces for young children to learn and grow.
  • Enhanced Child Protection – In addition to education, Turakura Kids Rwanda emphasizes child protection, safeguarding vulnerable children in its programs. By promoting collective responsibility and reducing individual child sponsorship, the program ensures that children are protected from exploitation and receive care in a secure environment.
  • Digital engagement for supporters – The Turakura model is not only new for Help a Child but also a new model for sponsoring in The Netherlands. Turakura moves away from traditional child sponsorship models by offering a digital platform that allows supporters to receive direct updates from children in the program through videos, newsletters and quarterly updates. This immersive experience provides a deeper connection between supporters and the communities they support, making the experience more personal and impactful.

We want every child to have a live in dignity, with love and a promising future. With the start of this new five-year programme, we can empower the next generation and create a better, more sustainable future for more children in need. To read more on this programma, click here.

A new beginning for 981 IDPs in Burundi

Written by

Since September 2023 up to September 2024, Burundi has experienced 257 emergency events resulting in 304,369 affected persons. Natural disasters remain the primary cause of human internal displacement in Burundi, currently amounting to 93% of the IDP cases reported. Rumonge is the most affected province by natural disasters, currently reporting 15,377 IDPs, Cibitoke is second with 13,482 IDPs while Bujumbura Rural reports 12,281 IDPs.

In Rumonge, Cibitoke and Bujumbura Rural, houses, roads, schools and health centers have been destroyed or irremediably damaged by the impact of El Niño; floods, torrential rains, heavy winds, landslides and extended dry seasons. Households in remote areas had limited to no support due to road conditions and accessibility levels.

Help a Child Burundi stepped in to help with cash aid and emergency packages to 147 families consisting of 981 people to address malnutrition, shelter and education needs of the children. Children must always benefit from what we do.

This summer, Help a Child Burundi distributed unconditional multipurpose cash aid to 144 IDP households in Muhuta (Rumonge) and Mutimbuzi (Bujumbura Rural). Each family received BIF 150,000 worth of cash aid. Furthermore, the 120 households displaced by natural disasters in Muhuta received NFI kits. These partial NFI kits were composed of 2 sleeping mats, 2 buckets, 2 Jerrycans, 2 serving spoons, 2 big cooking pots, 2 Solar lamps, 5 plates, 5 cups, 5 spoons and 1 ugali cooking malanchot.

Help a Child concluded the Intango Nshasha intervention with the distribution of 481 partial education kits for IDP children and adolescents out of school or at risk of dropping out of school in Muhuta (Rumonge), Mutimbuzi (Bujumbura) and Murwi in Cibitoke (152 young children between 0-7 years, 164 children between 8-12 years and 165 adolescents between 13-17 years).

Through the Intango Nshasha (a new beginning) project, 981 IDPs accessed relief aid within the 144 households displaced by natural disasters. Among these, there are 21 widows/widowers, 91 orphans, 14 adolescent mothers, 51 persons living with disabilities, 101 children out of school and 147 unemployed youth.

 

 

“These families lost everything. Help a Child supported them to get back on their feet with NFI kits and unconditional multipurpose cash aid. They are yet to recover their homes but despite being surrounded by overwhelming challenges, today they know that they are not alone.” – Celia Akimana

 

 

“Since the death of our father (August 2023), my mother has worked tireless but struggled to cover the education, nutrition and health needs of our family. Unfortunately, this year, I was recently kicked out of school for not having school materials. Thank you Help a Child, for supporting me to resume studies”. – Niyokwizigirwa Gentile (14 year old student in Murwi)

 

 

Climate Change
Burundi produces less than 0.02 percent of global greenhouse gas emission, yet it is deeply affected by climate change in recent years, currently considered among the 20 most vulnerable UN countries vis a vis climate change. The country faces significant roadblocks in addressing the main drivers of natural disasters and climate change due to limited community sensitization, technical knowledge on climate adaptation measures and climate risk monitoring systems.

The nation has adhered to international conventions and developed national policies promoting climate resilience but the elaborated strategies has not been implemented effectively due to significant gaps in terms of investment needed to achieve climate resilience, the green and blue economies vis a vis available funding. The Burundian government and the UN issued a joint statement in April 2024 appeal for support to address Burundi floods however, up to date, there have been limited support mobilized by the international community.

As the Intango Nshasha project comes to end, Help a Child continues to appeal for relief aid and early recovery support towards flood victims and capacity strengthening of communities at risks. As the Intango Nshasha project ends, a new partnership has emerged with WFP through the Merankabandi project. Help a Child is currently doing biometric registration of IDP households in Muhuta with the ambition of supporting the most vulnerable households with unconditional multipurpose cash aid and food aid.

Help a Child Burundi
Help a Child has been working in Burundi since 2016 carrying out community-based relief aid and development interventions in the Early childhood education (ECD), Child Protection, Food Security and livelihoods (FSL), Shelter and non-food items (NFI) and community empowerment sectors.

Extra mile to become more accountable to children

Written by

This blog from Geert de Jong, Manager Expertise & Development at Help a Child, was previously published on the CHS Alliance website.

CHS Alliance member Help a Child has undergone a remarkable transformation by embracing verifying against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). To mark their transition from Independent Verification to Certification, we hear from Geert de Jonge, Manager Expertise and Development at Help a Child, on how their commitment to quality and accountability has significantly enhanced the organisation’s impact for the people they support.

“The process to achieve certification against the CHS has been very helpful. We now have a clearer understanding of where systems, policies and practices are strong and effective and where further improvement is needed. The detailed, incisive audit report has helped us to improve. The entire process was an excellent opportunity to put the CHS at the forefront of the entire organisation and realign our activities and procedures accordingly. The CHS motivates us to walk the extra mile when it comes to meeting the highest quality standards.”


A community youth group with new climate smart stoves, supported by Help a Child partners in 2023. Credit: Serrah Galos/ Help a Child

The most important pillar of our strategic plan is achieving higher quality and impact. Our reason for existence is to provide a future for children in need. We do our utmost to accomplish this, and quality is our driving force. Now, by achieving CHS Certification through HQAI, we show the world that we take our commitment seriously. Being able to show that we meet this standard motivates us to continue to live up to our foundational ambition. The yearly maintenance audit of certification also gives us an extra external drive to make it a continuous priority.

As a member of the Dutch Relief Alliance, we are mandated to take part in CHS Certification, and thoroughly welcome this encouragement to meet our commitments. In fact, we think all donors should look at how they can use the CHS to support those they fund to improve accountability for the ‘end user’ – those we help.

Verifying against the CHS has instilled a culture of continuous improvement within Help a Child. By adhering to the nine commitments of the CHS, the organisation ensures its programmes are relevant, timely and effective. This structured approach has led to a more transparent and accountable operational framework, which is crucial for maintaining trust with stakeholders and people affected by crisis.

Here are the key improvements we’ve made:
• Community-Based Feedback: While Help a Child has long valued participation and feedback, after we started verifying against the CHS we organised meetings with community representatives to co-design feedback and complaint mechanisms. Each project subsequently chose its own mix of feedback channels, such as suggestion boxes, community meetings and hotlines. One exciting example of this was a child-led feedback mechanism in South Sudan, allowing children to actively express their feedback and complaints. This initiative provided valuable insights into how children perceive our projects and offered guidance on further improvements.
• Knowledge Management: In 2018, during a synthesis evaluation of all our projects, we realised that just creating high-quality policy documents is not enough. It is all about ensuring we reach the hearts and minds of our field staff so that they understand and live by our philosophy. We introduced all kinds of training, information exchange, and e-learning. For example, we began a Community of Practice for all staff and partners to share learnings on priority topics like Early Childhood Development, Child Protection and Disaster Response.
• Disaster Risk Reduction: Up to 2019, we were organised in silos: one silo for development programmes and one silo for disaster response. As an important discourse, Triple Nexus came up in our sector, and CHS pushed us to connect development with disaster response. This resulted in more attention to Disaster Risk Reduction in our development programmes and more sustainability and empowerment approaches in disaster response.
• Partnership Management: Supported by the CHS process, we have improved equal partner relationships and become more transparent in our relationships with our implementing partners. We created new Memoranda of Collaborations with partners, emphasizing more the equality in the relationship and our vision on partnership. We also started a Community of Practice with the CEOs of our partners to discuss strategic topics, ensuring decisions are taken together.
• Communication with communities: during the external audit in 2023, we realised we need to improve on the intensity and quality of our communication to affected people, explaining who Help a Child is as the donor behind our implementing partners and what integrity means to us.

As a result of all these changes, Help a Child has seen a notable improvement in our relationships with the communities we support. The CHS commitments emphasise accountability to affected people, ensuring that their needs and feedback are central to the organisation’s operations. Taking this participatory approach has led to more inclusive and responsive programmes, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for the communities served.

After several years of using the CHS to improve our work, it was great to get confirmation from the CHS audit report that the communities we help feel “…that Help a Child and its partners take the time to understand what the community has and does not have and to identify the most vulnerable.”


Member of a community youth group supported by Help a Child partners in 2023. Credit: Serrah Galos/Help a Child

Achieving CHS certification has also boosted donor confidence in Help a Child. As a relatively small NGO, the CHS opened up new avenues for further funding by larger donors, enabling us to provide more impact for more children in need. We expect and encourage more and more donors to adopt the CHS standard and, by doing so, increase the level of CHS compliance – meaning every group helping potentially vulnerable people are meeting those fundamental commitments. We want to work in this world.

Overall, Help a Child’s journey with CHS Alliance and verifying against the CHS has been transformative. The organisation has not only improved our internal processes but most significantly changed the power dynamics between us and those we serve. Through our commitment to CHS verification, we will continue to build trust, foster empowerment and deliver sustainable solutions to those in need.

 

E2P evidence review publication

Written by

 

We are proud to let you know that we have published our first consolidated evidence review of our Empowered to Protect (E2P) approach, which we implement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.

E2P is Help a Child’s community-based intervention for the prevention of gender-based violence. The initiative revolves around interactive group sessions where participants are encouraged to delve deeply into the root causes of gender-based violence. The program can be combined with distribution of non-violent self-defense tools called the INVI-bracelet to be used as last resort prevention when an attack is already happening.

The critical examination of social and cultural norms and practices raises awareness for gender-based violence, empowering both men and women of the community to recognize and tackle these issues proactively. Through E2P, participants become agents of change in their own environment by making them aware of the ways that they can prevent and respond to gender-based violence, fostering resilience and increasing feelings of safety. It is part of Help a Child’s holistic approach to work for the good of children, families and the entire community.

This paper is not only a summary of our past projects, but a collection of evidence of the impact of E2P, recommendations and lessons learned during the innovation journey.

Read our evidence review report