Raising awareness of footwear aid to child refugees

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF 2024)[i], about 48.8 million children worldwide have been displaced due to conflict and human rights violations as of the end of 2024. This includes 19.1 million children registered as refugees and asylum-seekers, and some 29.4 million children displaced within their own country. Furthermore, within four years (2020-2024), the global number of displaced children more than doubled, comprising 40% of the world’s refugees (UNHCR 2024).

Most of these child refugees are hosted in low and middle-income countries which face climate change hazards, overburdening education and healthcare systems, and sometimes conflict and violence too, which increases these children’s level of deprivation and vulnerability (You et al. 2020). Displaced children often live in deprived urban areas, overcrowded camps and shelters, and lack appropriate access to education, housing, healthcare services, clean water and sanitation (You et al. 2020). Moreover, they are often subjected to stigma and discrimination by the host population and lack emotional support, which affects their mental health (WHO 2022). Indeed, these children are amongst the most vulnerable populations in the world. Nevertheless, the intersection of the country of origin, ethnicity and preflight conditions are all factors that contribute to the unique health risks of refugee children (Baauw et al. 2019).