History

War Child launches in United Kingdom - David Wilson and Bill Leeson return home and establish War Child UK to fundraise for children growing up in war.

War Child launches in Netherlands - Willemijn Verloop returns to the Netherlands and establishes War Child Holland, which is today known as War Child Netherlands. 

Music comes to HELP - Titans of the British music industry - including Paul McCartney, Oasis, Blur and Radiohead come together to record the HELP album. With the funds, War Child builds a music therapy centre in Mostar, Bosnia. 

War Child begins working in Sudan

War Child begins working in southern parts of Sudan to support refugees displaced by conflict.  

War Child begins working in Afghanistan

War Child launches its first project in Afghanistan in the city of Herat, supporting families who had been internally displaced and are struggling to afford food and make a living.    

War Child begins working in Democratic Republic of Congo

War Child beginsprogrammes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), working with communities to help protect children affected by armed conflict from violence, abuse and exclusion, and to improve their access to education.   

War Child begins working in Iraq

War Child begins operating in Baghdad working with local and national NGOs and the government to deliver educational activities, psychosocial support and protection to children and their families.  

War Child begins working in the occupied Palestinian territory

War Child begins working with partners to provide emergency support to children and their families affected by the humanitarian and political crisis which has left many without access to basic lifesaving services, including food, water, health care and shelter.   

War Child begins working in Colombia

War Child starts working with organisations in Colombia to support the growing number of children associated with armed groups, and refugee children driven from their homes by violence. 

War Child begins working in Lebanon

War Child launches an emergency response in Lebanon to support vulnerable families and children.  

War Child begins working in Burundi

War Child starts delivering mental health and psychosocial support, protection and education to children affected by conflict in Burundi.  

South Sudan independence

War Child’s operations in South Sudan becomes become a separate programme, as the country announces independence from Sudan. There is a massive movement of people returning from Sudan into South Sudan, and War Child works with families on the border and in Juba to help them transition into their new lives. 

War Child begins working in Syria

War Child begins working with partners in Syria to respond to the conflict driven crisis which has resulted in mass displacement and trauma among children.  

War Child begins working in Central African Republic

War Child launches operations in the Central African Republic (CAR) to provide life-saving protection, education and opportunities to conflict-affected children and their families.   

Can't Wait to Learn is developed

War Child develops an adaptive digital learning platform called Can't Wait to Learn that provides personalised, curriculum-aligned learning to young children affected by conflict.

War Child stops working in Sudan

The War Child country programme in Sudan closes as operations in South Sudan gain momentum. 

War Child begins working in Jordan

War Child begins offering support to children in Jordan affected and displaced by the conflict in Syria.  

TeamUp is developed

Together with UNICEF Netherlands, and Save the Children Netherlands, War Child develops a non-verbal, movement-based methodology called TeamUp to support children’s psychosocial wellbeing.

BeThere is developed

War Child develops a group methodology called BeThere for parents and caregivers of children affected by conflict focused on improving wellbeing and developing parenting skills.

War Child launches in Sweden

War Child starts operations in Sweden, collaborating with refugee and displaced youth to provide psychosocial programmes that focus on community inclusion, language skills, confidence building, and accessing the job market.

ReachNow is developed

War Child develops a mental health detection and help-seeking tool called ReachNow to help communitites better identify when a child may be experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties and encouraging timely access to care.

War child begins working in Yemen

War Child begins delivering urgent food packages to hundreds of children and their families in Sana’a amidst the blockade following the outbreak of conflict in 2014.

Testing begins on Seeds

War Child and Save the Children take steps towards the development and testing of new a community-led approach to child protection called Seeds. 

War Child begins working in Uganda

War Child begins working with partners in Ugandan refugee settlements and host communities to provide children with vital mental health support, access to quality education, and protection.

Children in Conflict launches in the United States

War Child launches its US member Children in Conflict in New York to partner with the arts sector in America on events to raise money and awareness to transform the lives of children living through conflict.

EASE is developed

The World Health Organization, with technical input from War Child, develops a group-based mental health and wellbeing intervention for adolescents aged 10 to 14, called EASE. 

CORE is developed

War Child develops a methodology called CORE designed to support teachers affected by conflict to improve their wellbeing, manage stress and strengthen the social and emotional skills they need to support their students.

WeACT is developed

War Child develops the Working with Children: Assessment of Competencies Tool (WeACT) to assess the competency of non-specialist mental health workers.

Stronger Together is developed

War Child develops a modular, whole-family approach called Stronger Together that provides tailored psychosocial support based on each family’s specific needs.

SchoolLinks is developed

War Child develops SchoolLinks - a methodology designed to improve school attendance and reduce school drop-out.

War Child launches in Germany

War Child Germany (Deutschland) opens in Hamburg to raise funds for children affected by armed conflict and provide psychosocial to young refugees to adapting to life in Germany. 

War Child begins working in Ukraine

As the conflict between Russian and Ukraine escalates, War Child enters the country to provide immediate live-saving aid to children and their families.  

The War Child Alliance is launched

Five War Child fundraising members (in the Netherlands, UK, Germany and Sweden, plus Children in Conflict in the US) come together with 14 country programme members to form the War Child Alliance - with the goal of reaching more children affected by conflict. The Alliance is coordinated by a new international body: the War Child Alliance Foundation. 

War Child stops working in Iraq

After a decade of operations, the War Child office in Iraq closes – a positive step that reflects the improved situation for children and young people in the country. 

War Child transitions in Burundi

Following a reduction in conflict in the county, and positive shifts towards stability, War Child transitions from direct implementation to a partnership-based model in Burundi. 

Celebrating 10 years of TeamUp

War Child and Save the Children’s mental health and psychosocial support methodology celebrates 10 years of helping over 500,000 children across 30 countries.  

War child re-enters Sudan 

War Child launches a country programme in Sudan to respond to the latest war in the country which has escalated to create one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world for children.

War Child launches Partnership Framework

In line with our refocused strategy, War Child launches a new Partnership Framework laying out the Alliance's approach, values, and principles for working through local partners.