The Leap

Read about how you're helping children around the world keep learning, no matter what, so they can grow up and do extraordinary things. 

Meet Winderson, 7, who lives with his two brothers and grandma Amelia in Mozambique. At school, he likes learning Portuguese and maths. Winderson has big ambitions to be a policeman when he grows up and knows being in the classroom is important to make that happen. 

After weeks of torrential rain earlier this year, the river near Winderson’s home overflowed in a catastrophic flood. The worst anyone had seen in decades. “He was scared because even us adults were scared,” says Amelia. 

The family found refuge in Winderson’s school, which became an evacuation centre. Here amid the chaos of the crisis, your support meant Winderson could find a sense of safety and continue to study with his friends at a temporary learning space we provided.  

Now back at home and school, you’ve made sure Winderson and other children who lost their belongings in the floods don’t lose their education too. They’re equipped with back-to-school kits, containing coloured pencils, erasers, sharpeners and books so they can keep on working toward their futures. 

“I love going to school because I love writing,” says eight-year-old Sylvie, “I love to read books, books about butterflies.” Sylvie is a bright and curious eight-year-old. She lives in a remote village on the Pacific island of Vanuatu. At Sylvie’s school, there aren’t many books and the majority of children in Vanuatu struggle to read - 79% in year 4 don’t meet minimum literacy standards. 

But with your support, schools are receiving book deliveries, reaching even the remotest corners of the island and communities like Sylvie’s. She loves reading these books, because they're all about Vanuatu. 

Stefaniia*, 11, wants to be a judge one day, “I want to bring justice to the world and have peace all around.” Her home in Ukraine has been bombed since war began. School classes moved online, but unstable internet, power outages and interruptions made learning hard. 

Because of you, everything changed when her lessons could resume in a shelter renovated by Save the Children. 
 

Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, we helped schools resume in-person learning in safer conditions. We equipped shelters with proper lighting, ventilation systems, and improved restrooms, so children can study in healthier, safer, and more dignified conditions, even amid ongoing security risks.

The project also focused on supporting children’s wellbeing, equipping teachers with practical skills to better respond to children’s emotional needs during the war.

For the first time in years, Stefaniia could safely sit next to classmates, chat and ask questions. Now learning feels exciting.

“When I came to the offline school, I really liked the teachers, they are very kind and nice. They explain to us the topics very well. If we do not understand something, after the lesson they can help us,” says Stefaniia. 

Through this project, around 15,000 children have already gained access to safer and improved learning environments, and the number continues to grow.
 

Keep scrolling to see the Photo of the Month. 

Adel, 13, laughs in the classroom with her friends in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. You gave Adel the chance to go to school when her family couldn’t afford it, and she’s seized the opportunity with both hands. She gets top marks in maths and French, is head girl and dreams of becoming a nurse. "I see myself happy with my friends because they’re all studying," she says. "My wish for all the girls of Congo is to study." 

Answer: 100% 

Thanks to your support, all 56,000 of Vanuatu’s primary school children will have access to books through our Library For All project. 

*Names changed to keep children and their families safe.