Wars have changed: today wars are primarily civil wars and civilians are targets rather than collateral damage. Today many warring groups specifically target women and children in order to spread fear through a population. This has led to a situation in which armed conflict disproportionately affects children.
Children who live in conflict zones or who have been through a war have suffered in many ways and need many different forms of assistance to regain a semblance of normalcy. Although children are extremely resilient, conflict makes children more vulnerable to the effects of their broken environment:
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many have lost their family and friends;
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many have lost their homes;
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their community - and sense of community - was damaged;
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Access to health care and education have been disrupted;
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many have experienced physical trauma due to injury, illness, lack of nutrition or abuse;
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Many have experienced emotional trauma from witnessing violence, losing loved ones, or being abused.
Hope for the Nations is particularly concerned about these children and seeks to address their needs using many different approaches. Explore the different projects that HFTN supports and consider how you can get involved.