At the end of a mission to Burkina Faso, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has called for urgent action to protect children across the Sahel whose lives are upended by insecurity, displacement and climate change.
Russell was in Burkina Faso to look at the efforts of the Government, partners and young people to address major challenges around health, education and protection for children, and appeal to the international community to support effective interventions that have proven to save and improve the lives of children.
“The Sahel is one of the toughest places to be a child today, yet it’s getting the least of the world’s attention,” said Catherine Russell following a three-day visit to Burkina Faso.
Insecurity across the Central Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – has displaced more than 2.9 million people, about half of them children.
Communities, schools, health centres and water points have come under attack, putting children at increased risk of malnutrition, diseases, child marriage or recruitment into armed groups.
Violence has been spreading across the Central Sahel and into neighboring countries, fueling further displacement, economic hardships and increased pressure on limited resources.
Cycles of climate related drought and flooding contribute to food insecurity and hardships.
Across Central Sahel, the number of children under the age of five who suffer from acute malnutrition has more than doubled, from 2.2 million in 2015 to 6 million in 2023. Today, more than 2.5 million children are at risk of wasting.
Millions of children are out of school, and without access to learning. More than 8,000 schools have been shut because of attacks or insecurity.
“The Sahel illustrates a perfect storm, with conflict, climate disasters and chronic underfunding feeding off each other,” said Russell. “It should be a wake-up call to everyone that when crises are neglected, they fester. As always, children have the most to lose.”
Despite major challenges, there has been some progress. Most children are vaccinated, and community healthcare workers continue to reach children even in remote areas.
UNICEF and partners are working with communities and supporting the governments across Central Sahel in opening schools and providing essential services for millions of children, including vaccines, nutrition, safe water and social protection.
In Burkina Faso, Russell met with the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Health and Education, and thanked them for the increased investments the Government is making in health, education and protection of children.
She visited a UNICEF supported programme in the rural locality of Kokologho, where a powerful blend of nutrition and water, hygiene and sanitation initiatives support community resilience and saves children’s lives.
She also travelled to the eastern town of Fada, where UNICEF is supporting thousands of internally displaced families who have fled violence.
One woman, Mariam, told Russell that she grabbed her seven children and fled after armed men came to their village and killed her husband in front of the family.
“Despite the suffering and challenges children and families like Mariam’s face, I was grateful to see how people are doing their very best with what little they have to help each other. But they cannot do it alone, and needs are quickly outpacing funds,” said Russell.
UNICEF’s funding across West and Central Africa is expected to drop by 35 per cent because of sudden and steep global funding cuts.
UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal for children in Central Sahel this year is for US$ 489.7 million to reach the most vulnerable children. As of June 2025, it is less than 7 per cent funded.
