While you are reading this article, between 6 and 12 children will die of hunger or malnutrition around the world. At the same time, 251 million children and teens are not in school, and almost one in five children worldwide live in conflict zones. Despite all the joint international efforts to ensure better lives for children, in 2025 the situation has become more challenging due to the substantial funding cuts in the international development sector. As a consequence, essential services and programs for children, particularly in the most vulnerable regions, have been delayed or even cancelled. While it is said that investment in children is the best investment for a resilient society and a prosperous future, statistics show an alarming discrepancy. Is International Children’s Day, in such a context, a reason for celebration, or is it an occasion to raise the alarm about losing critical opportunities for children – a window in time that can never be relived?
Key Takeaways:
- For the past few years, progress has been made in reducing child mortality and increasing the number of children who stay in school. Persistent challenges continue to be malnutrition rates, limited access to education, and the impacts of conflicts, climate change, and funding cuts.
- Financial constraints and staffing shortages significantly limit access to essential services such as food, water, shelter, education, and healthcare. These deficits have profound and long-term effects on children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development.
- According to experts, international development organizations need to focus on high-impact, equitable, and locally-driven interventions to maximize the effectiveness of funding even during budget cuts and hiring freezes.
- Governments, donors, and NGOs must align efforts under national strategies and advocate for child-centered policies to protect vulnerable children during economic uncertainty.
DevelopmentAid: What are the potential long-term consequences for children’s development amidst persistent financial constraints?
“Evidence is clear that investments in early childhood development, for instance, have some of the highest rates of return, with generational impacts on health, productivity, and economic growth. Choosing to maximize limited resources by targeting high-impact interventions supports ongoing investment in areas of high priority. Equally, considering the modalities and partnerships that support partner government leadership and the pooled resources for common outcomes ensures that resources remain targeted to essential services. Budget support helps to sustain existing services and reduces the administrative burdens and costs associated with project-based support which, again, helps to maximize scarce resources and maintain trusted relationships.”
“We have been advocating that children’s underdevelopment has a serious negative impact on national development due to cognitive and physical deprivation, decreased productivity, and the community burden of increased health spending. In reality, these deprivations can lead to illness, hunger, and death. The community ends up being more vulnerable to repeated humanitarian disasters which again causes instability.”
See also: From classrooms to crises: How global emergencies silence the future of the young generation
“Ongoing financial constraints and staffing shortages pose serious challenges to the all-round development and growth of children in vulnerable societies. Limited access to treatment and education can increase child mortality rates, the incidence of child malnourishment, and educational gaps that prevent opportunities later in life. These gaps can assist in ensuring that, over time, they render an unhealthy, ill-equipped workforce and promote dangerous cycles of poverty and inequality within communities. Children in marginalized communities are at higher risk as they deal with the dual effects of economic hardship and scant support. This demands urgent action to stave off irreversible damage. Without continuous investment and strategic planning, long-term repercussions will curtail not just individual futures but also the social and economic stability of the afflicted regions.”
“Financial constraints and staffing shortages significantly limit access to essential services such as food, water, shelter, education, and healthcare. These deficits have profound and long-term effects on children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development, ultimately restricting their future opportunities. This reality affects millions of children—particularly those living in the world’s most vulnerable regions, where extreme poverty, armed conflict, fragile governance systems, and dependency on external aid are persistent challenges. One of the most critical risks faced by children in these contexts is stunted physical growth and impaired cognitive development, resulting from inadequate nutrition, limited healthcare, and lack of nurturing care during early childhood. These developmental setbacks can have irreversible consequences for children’s educational performance and lifelong well-being. Educational outcomes are further undermined by underinvestment in education – especially in early childhood development – and the absence of robust social protection systems. Without access to inclusive schooling, learning materials, and support services, children are deprived of the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty and contribute meaningfully to their societies.”
DevelopmentAid: How can international development organizations continue to support essential services for children, such as education and healthcare, during periods of hiring freezes and budget cuts?
“Development efforts should be geared towards developing long-term, localized and sustainable solutions to the challenges that partners in the most vulnerable regions face. The reality is that people are the greatest assets we have to address these challenges with and without adequate investments in nutrition, education, safe housing, strong communities – to name just a few – children will not have the opportunity to grow up to reach their full potential. This has long-term implications for the development trajectories of economies, societies, individuals, and countries.”
“Focus on one strategy, the “equitable distribution” of resources. Programs should apply the equitable distribution of resources by using a risk-based prioritization of the actions and beneficiaries/communities. The programs will need to be simple, affordable, and actionable prioritization guides for various community contexts, for frontline actors and programs. There should be a system of real-time monitoring and program adjustment based on this strategy.”
“Development organizations need to adapt in order to continue providing their facilitating services for children when they experience funding cuts and personnel freezes. The gap can be effectively filled by collaborating creatively with digital platforms and community volunteers. Additionally, collaborating with local organizations guarantees that resources are used more effectively and that programs are sustained locally. In order to keep their children fed throughout economic downturns, parents must investigate the basic services of health and education. Another crucial component is advocating for safeguarded funding sources while highlighting the long-term advantages of investing in child development. Fostering collaborations and creating creative, neighborhood-focused strategies can significantly contribute to preserving a network of very important services that protect children’s welfare in the face of more difficult economic circumstances.”
DevelopmentAid: How can governments, donors, and NGOs collaborate to prioritize child welfare in the face of hiring freezes and economic uncertainty?
“Health, education, and social protection – sectors that strongly support children – typically receive the highest share of governments’ own budgets globally, demonstrating the ongoing priority for investment in these areas. The key thing is to focus efforts collectively against partner governments’ own policies, strategies and plans. These provide locally relevant, detailed and shared strategies that then reduce the need for additional design and policy work and the risk of duplication to use resources most efficiently. A range of partners can then channel their resources into working in coordinated and cohesive ways that support country leadership to achieve the same goals.”
“For decades, we have all witnessed that few governments could be bothered with the long-term impact. They are full of other urgencies to worry about, such as election cycles (irony). I believe every government is concerned about instability. The message needs to highlight the realm of the humanitarian-development nexus – that children’s development, among other factors, could lead to repeated disasters and instability. The prioritization of advocacy targets (governments and donors): They are humans. Not all may be 100% philanthropic. The use of our resources must be prioritized to the targets with more chances.”
“Despite the economic uncertainty and hiring freeze, governments, donors, and NGOs should work together in ensuring that child welfare is prioritized. Thereby, the focus should be on resource optimization coordination given that resources are always limited. While a government can legislate on matters bearing on the protection of these services, donors can shift their funds towards programs that have the greatest impact. NGOs have been filling in the gaps by affecting the marginalized groups and providing solutions for the communities. Joint programmes and data-sharing platforms ensure greater levels of transparency and impact. While in a crisis, there must also be advocacy to see children’s rights placed at the center of development. Strong partnerships and a shared commitment to keep children’s needs at the top of the agenda somehow will ensure their future despite these trying economic times.”
See also: Challenges and opportunities for education in the era of AI | Experts’ Opinions
Building a better future for children can be looked at as both a career and a life mission. All sectors are important for their development. This is why, no matter the professional background, international development sector experts can bring their contribution to children’s welfare. The DevelopmentAid platform offers access to the largest job board in the fields, allowing Individual Professional Members to access every openings and analyze the opportunity. Membership also unlock tenders and grants for individuals, salary trends, profile exposure, and many more other valuable tools.
