Save the Children is committed to reducing children’s vulnerability to emergencies, ensuring their right to survival and development after an emergency and providing the support they and their families need to quickly recover and re-establish their lives, dignity and livelihoods.

Save the Children defines an emergency as “A situation where the lives, physical and mental wellbeing or development opportunities of children are threatened as a result of man-made or natural disasters, and where local capacity to respond is exceeded or inadequate”

Critical to the success of an emergency response is our ability to respond rapidly, often before the public even become aware of the situation. One of the tools we use to help us achieve this is the Children’s Emergency Fund (CEF), which allows us to mobilise people and materials quickly to areas affected by disaster, instead of having to wait for public appeals to be launched. Our supporters provide funds to the Children’s Emergency Fund, which helps us to save the lives of more children, more rapidly.

Emergency response, preparedness and disaster risk reduction is one of the tangible ways in which we realise children’s rights, and assist them, their families and their communities to better deal with and prepare for disasters on their own, thus increasing their resilience and reducing their dependence on others.

When we do respond to emergencies, we provide shelter, food and nutrition, relief items, clean water, child protection, health services and education in emergencies, also known as EiE. These activities are critical to saving lives, relieving suffering, and helping to normalise children’s lives after a traumatic event.

During an emergency response we cover our own costs in a first phase response then we seek for cost recovery in the 2nd phase. 10% is taken off every emergency dollar as cost recovery, leaving a dedicated 90% to emergency needs. 

Philippines Floods	Afghanistan Food Crisis	Thailand & Cambodia Floods
Flash flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Sendong, has displaced thousands of children and adults. Find out more.	More than 1 million Afghan children are at risk of going hungry following poor harvests that mean families don't have enough food to last through the winter. Find out more about our response.	The heaviest monsoon rains in decades have caused massive floods across countries in southeast Asia including Thailand and Cambodia. Find out more about our response.
East Africa Food Crisis	South Sudan	Pakistan Flooding
Millions of children are facing life-threatening hunger and thirst in Kenya, Somalia & Ethiopia as drought devastates the region. Find out more about our response.	While South Sudan gained independence on the 9th of July, peace is by no means assured and conditions remain harsh. Find out more.	20 million affected following the worst flooding in Pakistan for decades. We have teams on the ground helping the people of Pakistan. Find out more.
Queensland Emergency	Previous Responses
Save the Children assisted over 1000 children in communities worst affected by Cyclone Yasi. Find out how.	How did Save the Children respond to the Indian Ocean 2004 Tsunami or Cyclone Aila in Bangladesh? Find out.