The UK Government funding will help children in the CAR to build better lives for themselves.

UK government pledges match funding to Learn to Live

We are delighted to reveal that the UK government will double, pound for pound, all donations to our #LearnToLive campaign, up to £500,000.   

This appeal will support psychosocial services for children affected by conflict. 

The government funding will support children who have been associated with armed groups, separated from families, or survived gender-based violence in the Central African Republic. 

Our targeted services will offer access to education, skills training, and psychological support to allow them to move past their experiences and build a brighter future for themselves and their country. 

Your donation will go towards our work offering similar child-focused, child-centred programming for children affected by war all over the world. 

Education is vital for children affected by war so they can learn the skills they need to build a future.
Arete/War Child UK

Mental health and children in war

When conflict erupts, the first response is usually to provide shelter, food and water. But without long-term support, children risk developing psychological and emotional problems later in life. They can fall behind at school, become isolated from their peers and struggle to function an already unstable and challenging environment. Education is vital for children affected by war so they can learn the skills they need to build a future. But they also need to learn to overcome their fear.

Stephanie, 15, and Jean, 18, are two children who’ve benefitted from our psychosocial support services in the Central African Republic. 

Having lived through the long-lasting conflict between violent militias, many of their peers have known nothing but war. In Stephanie’s words, the war has produced “a generation of kids that have war in their mind and spirit”. 

But as members of our youth advocacy programme, Stephanie and Jean are now receiving the support they need to share and move on from their experience of war. 

Jean said that our innovative programme, called VoiceMore, “gave us the chance to speak about what we experienced during the conflict. It wasn’t easy to say, but eventually I understood that talking about it helped us surpass it.” 

Donate to the appeal

Donate to the appeal before 08/01/2019 and your gift will be doubled pound for pound by the UK Government up to £500,000.

Donate now