Group picture of VoiceMore Participants

Young voices leading change in the face of conflict

Children and young people affected by war are using their voices to transform their communities through VoiceMore.

More than 520 million children live in the shadow of conflict, a staggering number that rarely breaks through the noise of the daily headlines. But behind the numbers, something remarkable is happening. From Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Ukraine and Colombia, in forgotten corners of the world, a quiet revolution is taking hold. Through VoiceMore, War Child is helping children and young people who’ve survived war find the tools, confidence and platform to shape their communities and speak out for change. 

When it launched in 2016, VoiceMore began with a simple idea: that children and young people who have lived through the worst of humanity should be able to influence what comes next. 

In Buenaventura, Colombia, a local community had been struggling with the consequences of poor solid waste management, a problem made worse by instability and service breakdowns caused by conflict. Waste collection had become unreliable, and unmanaged rubbish was beginning to threaten people’s health. For the young people in VoiceMore, the issue felt urgent. “We chose to work on this topic because there are many related issues, the most common being the current levels of dirt and pollution, which was producing significant harm to the entire community. People were throwing their garbage into the stream and water and sewage systems were clogged. Children used to play there but now they can’t,” the group explained. 

Several People cleaning clogged water stream.
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Too often, young people living with the impacts of conflict are overlooked as leaders. VoiceMore shows what happens when they’re given the space to lead. 

The young people in Buenaventura learned how to communicate their concerns in creative and accessible ways that would resonate with the community. They produced videos to illustrate the scale of the problem, spoke on local radio stations to raise awareness, developed workshops on creating gardens using recyclable materials, and organised open conversations with the local authorities responsible for waste collection so residents could share their experiences directly. As one participant explained, “so the idea was to create a campaign and start developing contingency strategies, providing training to the community and share the process with them, so they can take part in it as partners.” 

two girls sat beside each other on stage with one girl speaking whilst holding a microphone.
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The local authorities recognised that the young people’s research was accurate and important, and they agreed to work together with them. They promised to set clear goals to improve the situation, and open new opportunities for cooperation like education in the community and protecting local plants and animals.  

Children and young people affected by conflict are often denied not only safety and education but also the chance to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Their rights to protection, to express their views freely, and to influence matters impacting their communities are frequently overlooked.  

VoiceMore addresses this gap by giving them the structure, skills and confidence to claim those rights. Their ideas aren’t just heard, War Child helps to amplify them to decision makers from local government to international organisations. 

Young adolescent boy speaking into microphone.
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VoiceMore trains children and young people on their terms. Rather than imposing a rigid curriculum, staff work alongside participants, not above them. Young people decide which issues matter most in their context. For some, it’s the environment, for others its education or community safety. Each group stays together for 18-24 months, giving them time to build trust, test ideas and deliver real projects on the ground. The young people design, lead and implement their own projects, supported by staff.  

The Buenaventura group explained: “I think it’s really important because it gives spaces for us, young people and children to express ourselves. It’s important that advocacy is done by us, from our point of view. My hope for the future is that there will be more spaces like this, where people like us can have spaces to express ourselves better. Not just being visible, but also make our perspectives visible.” 

VoiceMore Colombia group consisting of young people, some holding very large papers with writing.
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VoiceMore responds to a global crisis in child rights. In late 2024, The UN described the year as “one of the worst years in history for children in conflict.” More children are being displaced, denied their right to education and exposed to violence on a massive scale. Without intervention, the next generation risks being defined by their trauma.  VoiceMore represents a hopeful counterpoint, a programme that restores agency, build resilience and ensures children and young people are part of shaping solutions, not sideline by conflict.