The holy month of Ramadan is particularly difficult this year for children whose lives have been turned upside-down by conflict in the Gaza Strip, Sudan and Yemen.
Children do not start wars, but they pay the highest price
Ramadan is a time of joy, celebration and prayer with loved ones and family, but for children in Gaza, Sudan and Yemen, the 2025 season will be marked by the devastating impacts of war. UNICEF was founded in the wake of World War II to help children and young people whose lives and futures were at risk. Today, UNICEF remains committed to reaching children in need and protecting every child’s right to survive, thrive and reach their full potential.
Almost two years after fighting intensified between rival armed groups in Khartoum, nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population — more than 30.4 million people, including 15.6 million children — require urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 8 million have been displaced internally since the start of the conflict; over 3 million have fled to neighboring countries.
At a UNICEF-supported safe learning space at Al Salam gathering point for the internally displaced in Kassala State, eastern Sudan, children use modeling clay to create pretend versions of the favorite foods they remember from Ramadans past.
Ten-year-old Maryam (top photo, second from left), and her family fled their home in Khartoum to escape the violence. “During Ramadan we would set the table, clean the house and prepare the food,” she recalled. “We don’t have much now. I will miss my friends during Ramadan. I hope the war stops and I can return to my friends.”
Sudan’s brutal civil war has created the world’s largest child displacement crisis
“Children in Sudan are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrific violence,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council on March 13, 2025. “The last time I was in Sudan I met with families and children who are living through this nightmare. Their stories are heartbreaking – and demand immediate action.”
“UNICEF continues to respond wherever and however we can — delivering lifesaving supplies and services in conflict hot spots, supporting displaced people and host communities, and building resilience,” Russell said.
More than 1 million children are struggling to survive a catastrophe in the Gaza Strip
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, more than 1 million children in Gaza have endured over 15 months of military assault and deprivation. Homes, schools, hospitals and water and sanitation infrastructure lie in ruins; basic services have been cut off. Virtually the entire population has been displaced, many of them multiple times.
UNICEF has been on the ground in the Gaza Strip throughout the conflict, working with partners to reach children with lifesaving assistance, despite supply blockades and restrictions. Minutes after a ceasefire was implemented on Jan. 19, 2025, UNICEF trucks began rolling across the border, loaded with water, hygiene kits, nutrition, warm winter clothes and other critical humanitarian aid for children. By Feb. 28, nearly 1,000 UNICEF trucks with lifesaving aid had crossed into the territory — more than triple the amount of supplies delivered during the previous six-week period.
UNICEF continues to call for an immediate and long-lasting ceasefire, the safe return of all hostages and unimpeded access to deliver emergency aid to children trapped in a war zone in Gaza
But days after the start of Ramadan, Israel once again halted delivery of all humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas. Bombardment resumed on March 18, 2025, reportedly killing hundreds of people including more than 130 children, one of the largest single-day child death tolls in the past year.
“The attacks and the violence must stop – now,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said on March 18. “We urge all parties to immediately reinstate the ceasefire, and we call on countries with influence to use their leverage to ensure the situation does not further deteriorate.”
The psychosocial and physical harm sustained by Palestinian children continue to have long-term impacts. As they struggle to cope with the trauma of life in a war zone, they also mourn the loss of family, friends and any sense of normalcy.
“I miss my brother Salman,” said 13-year-old Nada. “He was killed in the war. I miss my friends Noor, Layan and Retal. We used to do everything together. I hope we will return to our home very soon.”
After a decade of conflict, Yemen’s socioeconomic systems are on the verge of collapse
More than 18.2 million people, including 9.8 million children, require humanitarian assistance and protection in Yemen, where a decade of war has destroyed infrastructure, devastated the economy and heightened the vulnerability of poor families and communities.
UNICEF’s humanitarian strategy in Yemen is to provide direct lifesaving assistance to people affected by conflict, floods, climate change and disease outbreaks, including those who are currently or may be displaced and members of immigrant communities. UNICEF developed and maintains a network of partnerships to provide critical nutrition support; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); education; health; social protection and child protection services while engaging in strategic high-level advocacy and influence campaigns to protect children’s rights and futures.
UNICEF-funded humanitarian cash transfers give families in Yemen dignity and flexibility to meet their most urgent needs
For the 17 million people in Yemen who experience food insecurity — 4.7 million at crisis levels — affording food to break fast this Ramadan will be an ongoing struggle. An unconditional cash transfer program funded by the World Bank and implemented by UNICEF offers a cost-effective way to quickly deliver support to those who need it most. Families can prioritize their own spending decisions, using the money to buy food, medicine, clothing or other necessities. In 2024, more than 1.43 million families in Yemen received humanitarian cash transfer payments.
In Seerah District, Aden Governorate, 72-year-old newsdealer Fuad Abduhameed sometimes skips meals to ensure his daughters have enough to eat. “They ask me to eat with them, and I keep telling them I have already eaten my share outside the home so that my children will eat,” he said.
His 10-year-old daughter, Aisha, added, “I feel sad because I cannot buy jelly, iftar, labania, cake and juice like before. I am not happy with the high prices and the war.”
Wherever and whenever children are in need, UNICEF is there to help
During the holy month of Ramadan, UNICEF joins Muslim communities across the globe in calling for solidarity and generosity towards families and children who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.