USAID/LEGO Foundation Childhood Development Initiative: First Edition

Amidst the challenges of war in northeastern Syria, Saba*, 32, a mother of 6 children, including triplets, faces extreme poverty and malnutrition while caring for children. The family struggles to survive after being displaced from their home. The dire conditions left them with little access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, and medical care. Her husband is disabled, which further compounded their difficulties as he could not work, leaving the family with no stable source of income. While Saba* tried desperately to earn an income, it wasn’t enough to provide and care her family, her triplets became dangerously malnourished until a clinic's intervention helped them recover. Now, she supports other families in identifying and treating malnutrition, driven by her experience and determination to uplift her community. Inspired by her mother's resilience and dedication to helping others, eldest daughter Rasha*, 9, now aspires to become a doctor, determined to contribute to her community's recovery and fight against malnutrition. Roni Ahmed/Save the Children

Martunis was seven years old when one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history struck Aceh, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia on the 26 December 2004, ripping apart life as he knew it. ULET IFANSASTI/SAVE THE CHILDREN

Hadla*, 30, and Abbas* 37, are a Syrian couple who fled the violence in Lebanon and are currently living in a displacement camp in Syria, along with their two children, Firas*, six, and Felek*, five. Abbas* was doing well before the conflict erupted in Syria in 2013. He had a house and land where he relied on agriculture for his livelihood. The conflict left him without shelter and income, so he sold the house and land and left for Lebanon in late 2013. In Lebanon, the family lived in an informal camp where they faced many harsh conditions and worked as daily labourers for minimal wages. The camp was dangerous; it had been set on fire multiple times, and the residents faced threats. The family fled back to Syria in October 2024, but they were unable to return to their home village which is now controlled by armed groups. As Abbas* couldn’t afford rent, the family had to live in an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in Syria. The couple struggle to provide for their family and desperately need warm clothes and assistance as winter approaches. As of October 29, 117 Syrian families, consisting of 532 individuals, including 342 children, arrived at a displacement camp in Syria, fleeing the violence in Lebanon. Save the Children is responding to this emergency by distributing Ready to eat (RTE) kits, Hygiene Kits, Dignity Kits for women and girls above 12, Baby kits for children under six months, and Plumpy Nut butter for children under 5 as well as to pregnant and lactating women. The family benefited from all the above-mentioned distributions. Roni Ahmed / Save the Children