Humanitarian response: protecting children before, during and after crisis

Conflict, displacement and climate-related disasters are affecting more people, in more places, for longer. In 2026, an estimated 239 million people worldwide need humanitarian assistance, yet shrinking humanitarian budgets mean that millions of people will go without support. For children and young people, the consequences can be profound. When protection systems break down and education is interrupted, the impacts can last far beyond the crisis itself.

At PlanBørnefonden, we work to keep children and young people safe, support their learning and strengthen communities' ability to prepare for, withstand and recover from crisis. Humanitarian response is not only about meeting immediate needs. It is about ensuring that crises do not permanently derail children's safety, wellbeing and future opportunities.

Bagsiden af en pige der ser ud af et vindue

What we do

We help create safe environments for children, provide access to learning and support families and communities to protect children's rights during times of crisis. We know that children cannot learn or thrive if their basic needs are not met. That is why we prioritise integrated programmes that address the acute needs and wider challenges families face, including access to clean water, sanitation, food, shelter, health services and livelihoods. Where markets are functioning, assistance is provided in the form of cash and voucher programmes, giving people the flexibility and dignity to decide for themselves what will help them most.

In a sudden onset emergency, the speed and effectiveness of a response depend on who is already present. Through Plan International's global network, strong local and national partners, and longstanding presence in crisis-affected communities, we support responses led by those who know the context best, while ensuring resources reach those closest to the crisis as quickly as possible.

Together with local and national partners, we support community preparedness and anticipatory action, helping children, families and communities act before predictable shocks, such as floods, droughts and storms, become humanitarian emergencies. As crises become protracted, we help children return to school, strengthen child protection systems, and support adolescents and young people, particularly girls and young women, to develop skills, access economic opportunities and build greater self-reliance.

Through our dedicated humanitarian team, we connect Danish and international funding, technical expertise and global learning with locally led action, ensuring that children's protection, learning and future opportunities remain at the centre of humanitarian action, from preparedness and emergency response through recovery and longer-term resilience.

Our humanitarian programmes are supported by partners including the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union's humanitarian arm (ECHO) and country-based pooled funds. Across our responses, we combine child protection, education in emergencies, cash and voucher assistance, preparedness and anticipatory action to help children stay safe, keep learning and build a more resilient future.

Education as a vehicle for lasting change

Despite decades of progress, nearly 273 million children and young people are out of school today, almost half of them girls. Conflict, displacement, climate shocks and chronic under-investment in education are exacerbating a global learning crisis. Around 40% of primary school-aged children worldwide lack basic reading skills, rising to 84% in sub-Saharan Africa.

To respond, PlanBørnefonden delivers programmes supporting access and quality of education from the earliest years throughout to young adulthood. Our programming goes beyond only access to a classroom, it is about tackling inequalities and learning gaps, by engaging the parents, communities and local and national governments to improve learning for all children.

What we do

At PlanBørnefonden, we aim to ensure children have uninterrupted access to quality learning. Our programmes strengthen foundational learning in the classroom and keep children learning when crisis disrupts their education. Based on the needs of the children, our education programming is often integrated with child protection, health and nutrition to support children’s holistic development.

We see education as one of the most powerful drivers of development – both at the individual and national level. PlanBørnefonden work closely with local and national partners and government to ensure sustainability and national ownership and integration. Our work spans across conflict and climate shocks, protracted displacement, and education systems strained by overcrowding and under-resourcing, in contexts where humanitarian and development needs are increasingly overlapping.

We have extensive experience in Ethiopia, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Rwanda, and Kenya, implementing humanitarian programmes in for example our Strategic Partnership with the Danish MFA, and play-based learning initiatives such as PlayMatters and Education Outcome Fund projects.

What sets our approach apart

Protection and learning from day one

Children's protection and learning cannot wait until after an emergency. We work to ensure that children are safe, supported and able to continue learning from the earliest stages of a crisis, helping to reduce both immediate risks and long-term harm.

Integrated responses around children's needs

Children's wellbeing depends on more than one service, sector, and actor. We combine child protection and education with support such as water, sanitation, hygiene, cash assistance and livelihoods, working with specialist partners to provide coordinated responses that reflect how people actually experience crisis.

Locally led humanitarian action

The most effective responses are led by those closest to the crisis. We work with local and national partners to strengthen their leadership, increase access to funding and technical support, and ensure that decision-making is rooted in local knowledge and priorities.

Cash assistance where it works best

Even in a humanitarian crisis, markets often remain functional. Therefore, if conditions allow, cash and voucher assistance is our preferred response option. It enables families to prioritise their own needs, supports local economies and provides assistance in a flexible and dignified way.

Preparedness and anticipatory action

Many humanitarian crises can be predicted before they escalate. Together with local partners, we will increasingly strengthen preparedness and support anticipatory action that helps children, families and communities act early and reduce the impact of predictable shocks such as floods, droughts and storms.

From emergency response to self-reliance

In protracted crises, we help build pathways towards recovery and greater self-reliance. This includes supporting children to return to learning, strengthening child protection systems, and helping adolescents and young people, particularly girls and young women, develop skills and access economic opportunities.

Responding where children are most at risk

Our humanitarian work spans sudden-onset emergencies, protracted displacement and fragile contexts where crisis and poverty overlap. Working through Plan International's global network and alongside local and national partners, we support children and communities affected by conflict, displacement and climate-related shocks.