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The UEFA Foundation for Children has announced a significant expansion of its humanitarian support for children living in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. New partnerships, with Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières and Handicap International, will prioritize aid for children in Gaza, a region the UN Secretary General has described as enduring “a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.”
The crisis in numbers
UN data shows that by May 2025, over 66,000 children in Gaza were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with 2,700 under-fives severely affected – an increase of more than threefold in just a few months. According to UNICEF, over 473 million children – more than one in six globally – now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II. Children in conflict zones experience various devastating impacts, including violence that results in death, injury or recruitment by armed groups.
Education has been significantly disrupted for over 52 million children in these areas, with many missing extensive periods of schooling. They also face risks of malnutrition and limited access to healthcare and essential services like safe water and food. The daily struggle for survival and the psychological toll of conflict can lead to toxic stress and long-term health issues. Additionally, children are often separated from their families and displaced, making them more vulnerable to exploitation.
The new collaboration will deliver emergency medical aid, psychosocial support, food, clean water and education on the dangers of explosive remnants, aiming to restore a measure of safety and dignity to young lives disrupted by war.
For Médecins du Monde, which has operated in the region since 1995, this means continuing their work to improve healthcare access, strengthen emergency response capacity and provide mobile psychosocial support clinics. Médecins Sans Frontières will focus on treating the wounded, supporting overwhelmed hospitals and providing maternal and pediatric care. With over 600 staff and community workers in the region, Handicap International will deliver first aid kits, rehabilitation care and disability support, while also educating children and communities about explosive hazards.
Sport as a humanitarian force
“Whatever the adults waging wars think they are doing, the children are innocent. But, in all conflicts, they are dying every single day and we must do what we can to help those who are trying to make life more tolerable and normal for them,” said UEFA President and UEFA Foundation Chairman Aleksander Čeferin. “Through the UEFA Foundation for Children, we strive to support those who are working to ease the burdens the children carry – helping them find moments of peace and hope, even in the hardest of circumstances.”
The move is the latest step in the UEFA Foundation’s decade-long commitment to protecting and empowering children affected by war, poverty and inequality. Since launching in 2015 as an independent charitable organization, the Foundation has invested €54 million in 577 sports-based projects, impacting the lives of 4.9 million children in 138 countries.
From providing football equipment in refugee camps to funding educational programs for displaced youth, the Foundation has worked in conflict zones including Ukraine, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. Its support blends financial aid with the unique reach of football, often bringing children from beneficiary projects into the spotlight at UEFA competition finals, walking out alongside players or participating in medal ceremonies.
Elite competitions often dominate headlines. However, the Foundation focuses on football as a catalyst for social change. It promotes gender equality in sport. It also provides access to football for children with disabilities and it teaches environmental responsibility through grassroots programs.
“It’s our duty – as adults, as parents, as neighbors, as human beings – to stand beside children when they need us. Sometimes, even the smallest gesture can remind them they are not alone, that they are not forgotten and that they are valued. We can’t change the world on our own – but children can and will, if we provide them with safety, love and hope they need to grow,” Čeferin reflected.
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