The Leap

Let’s be honest – 2025 hasn’t been easy. Cruelty and division spread like wildfire, and children -  who are in no way responsible for the world’s problems, were often hurt most.  

You’d be forgiven for looking away. But you didn’t. By supporting Save the Children, you stood up for what’s right. And that takes a special kind of person.  

You fought for childhood and helped us bring some joy to millions of children around the world, and I can’t thank you enough for that. 

Instead of just one photo this month, we wanted to share something extra special – our favourite pictures from across the entire year.

Health worker Mowlid, 28, vaccinating baby Lamia at a mobile outreach session in a remote community in Somali Region, Ethiopia. This work is part of our partnership with GSK, which aims to vaccinate children in under-vaccinated communities. 

While crises dominated the headlines this year, remarkable progress for children has continued. Here are 10 wins from 2025: 

1. Bolivia bans child marriage 

   Bolivia became the 14th country in Latin America to ban child marriage after girls across the country and Save the Children joined a campaign to criminalise the practice. Before the law was passed in September, more than one in five girls were forced into marriage before the age of 18, and about 3% were married before the age of 15. 

2. 450,000 children to be lifted out of poverty in UK after two-child benefit cap scrapped

   The two-child benefit cap will end in 2026, meaning that parents on low incomes in the UK can claim benefits for all of their children, not just the first two. Ending the restriction, which has been in effect since 2017, will lift 450,000 out of poverty. 

3. Historic court ruling acknowledges impacts of climate change on children’s rights

   In a landmark win for children, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) acknowledged the adverse impacts of climate change on child rights, and offered children renewed hope.  The Advisory Opinion - delivered by the world’s highest court - found that states’ legal obligations to address climate change extend beyond existing climate agreements.

4. Corporal punishment is banned in Thailand 

   Thailand became the 68th country to ban the use of corporal punishment, a practice still widely accepted at home and in school, reflecting deeply rooted cultural attitudes. Three in four children aged 1-14 in Thailand have experienced some form of corporal punishment. 

5. Children in Somalia have greater legal protections

   Children across Somalia will have greater legal protections for themselves and their rights, including access to health and education, after Somalia’s federal parliament ratified Africa’s only regional charter on the rights of the child. After decades of conflict in Somalia, cases of grave violations of children remain rampant including sexual assault, abductions, and recruitment into armed groups. With the charter’s strong calls for child participation and elimination of harmful cultural practices, Somalia will be required to take all necessary steps to advance legal protections for children and allocate adequate resources for enforcement.

6. 40 Tonnes of medical aid reached Sudan, destined for children and families

   A cargo plane carrying 40 metric tonnes of medical supplies landed in Port Sudan in November, with essential drugs, medical equipment and therapeutic food to treat children in Sudan. The delivery from Nairobi was the largest aid consignment by an international NGO since March 2025, and the supplies are now being taken by road to reach children and families in the hardest-to-access areas across Sudan, including in Tawila, North Darfur.  The consignment is enough to keep hundreds of health facilities running for 6-12 months, allowing hundreds of thousands of children to be treated. 
    

7. Preventing child marriage and FGM in Ethiopia. 

   Save the Children and its partners have helped prevent 211 child marriages and 416 cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ethiopia since 2020. Girls and boys in part of Ethiopia’s Somali region have played a part in reducing cases of FGM in their community by advocating for change and children’s rights through a Save the Children Child Club.  

8. Save the Children able to respond more swiftly to disasters after getting WHO recognition 

   Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit (EHU) has become the first NGO maternal and baby specialist Emergency Medical Team to be verified by the World Health Organisation, meaning it can be deployed to health emergencies in countries across the globe. The EHU has reached over five million people and trained 18,000 health workers. Receiving the WHO certification is recognition of the specialist care needed by women and babies when disasters strike. It reinforces our ability to act swiftly in crises and provide essential care to women and newborns who would otherwise be left without support.

9. Disease-reducing mosquitoes in Laos aim to cut dengue cases

   More than 130 million disease-reducing mosquitoes are being released in Laos, after cases of dengue hit a record high globally in 2024 at over 14.4 million, more than double the previous record of 2023, with children at greater risk of severe dengue illness. The project rears mosquitoes which carry a naturally occurring bacteria called Wolbachia, which reduces the insect’s ability to transmit deadly viruses to people, decreasing the risk of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever outbreaks. 

10. Trained volunteers on bicycles help mothers deliver safely in rural Zambia 

    Trained community-based volunteers in rural Zambia are getting on bicycles to help identify and refer mothers for pre and post-natal care in areas where women often have to travel long distances to reach healthcare. In partnership with the Zambian Ministry of health, some 140 volunteers have been trained to use bicycles to travel into remote communities, identifying mothers and babies in their homes who might need extra care, and providing them with information and referrals when needed. In 2025, the team referred 403 pregnant women for prenatal care, enabled 269 mothers to give birth safely in health facilities, and supported 259 mothers to receive postnatal care. 

*Names changed to keep children and their families safe.