In 2016, the lives of millions of children were disrupted, upended or nearly destroyed by emergencies, including conflict, natural disasters and fast-spreading epidemics. Nearly 250 million children currently live in countries affected by conflict; millions more face risks from natural disasters and fast-spreading epidemics.

Almost three months after Hurricane Matthew, UNICEF and its partners continue to deliver humanitarian aid to those most affected by the category 4 storm.

For over 70 years, UNICEF has been the defender of children around the world, regardless of gender, religion, race or economic background. When the world’s most vulnerable need a champion in the face of conflict, disease or exclusion, UNICEF has been there.

Khadija Muuse, 70, is among tens of thousands of Somalis displaced by drought. The men in her family have all left for towns and cities in search of work, leaving her and other women and children behind. Rabaable village, near Garowe, Puntland.

Basel Alrashdan, 11, and his family were the first Syrian family to be resettled on Canada’s Prince Edward Island.

Millions of people in Damascus and surrounding areas have been cut off from running water for two weeks. Fighting in and around Wadi Barada, on the outskirts of Damascus where the two primary water sources are located, has resulted in damages to the water network.

UNICEF today launched #EarlyMomentsMatter, a new campaign supported by the LEGO Foundation to drive increased awareness about the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life and the impact of early experiences on the developing brain.