2023: The Year in Pictures

Many children today are fighting for their futures. This collection celebrates their spirit – and the people who stood with them through 2023, no matter what.

In the UK, the cost-of-living crisis continued to wreak havoc on children’s lives. But time and again we saw extraordinary people step forward to support their neighbours.

From Iraq and Nepal to Ethiopia and Solomon Islands, extreme weather and changing climates are the new normal. The consequences are clear, but so is Save the Children’s determination to slow and reverse the damage.

Meanwhile, during emergencies like the conflict in Gaza and the Turkey-Syria earthquake, our staff ran towards the people worst affected – saving lives and helping children be children again – even as their own communities crumbled.

In tough times, we have a choice: look away or stand beside children whose lives are on the line. We choose action and hope, community and collaboration every day – just like the people in these pictures.

UK

Many families in the UK were walking a thin line between hope and desperation before the cost-of-living crisis hit. But the right help at a crucial time can be life-changing. Kelly and Richard live with their children in Sheffield. When they were facing homelessness, a flat became available but it was almost empty.

To their relief, a Save the Children grant meant they could buy a bed for their son Harvey – who has additional needs – and other essentials like school uniform and a microwave. Ask for help, says Richard: "Everybody needs a bit of help along the way. It's not just financially… it's mentally… so that you're not alone."

Photographer Laura Pannack:

“I remember that there were bursts of sunlight coming in. I remember Richard meeting me downstairs and carrying the kit up several flights of stairs, he was such a gent. We chatted a lot about growing up, about how they met and fell in love.

“I wanted the twins engaged in an activity that wasn’t too hectic but that brought them together... Richard suggested a story, which I thought was lovely. They jumped on his lap and in no time were taken to story land. 

“I felt reassured that the family felt respected and simply wanted to show how their struggles were a reality that needed to be communicated to help others. I felt like we were all working together to create an impactful message.”

Communities up and down the country are weathering the financial storm with help from unsung heroes like Moni and Shuily. At their weekly Save the Children-supported healthy eating and cooking classes, they provide a safe space for women, especially those with difficult home lives – nurturing their confidence to try new things, make friends, even apply for a job for the first time. “It is not just cooking, it's so much more than that,” says Moni. “Some ladies have depression. Some share other family problems. They ask: ‘Can you help me?’.”

Shumi, who attends the sessions, says: “They're stars, people like this, they really are stars”.

Photographer Serena Brown:

“They're the kind of individuals I love to photograph… people you wouldn't have heard of unless you were within that community, [they’re] doing such amazing things.

“Honestly, I think it's the brightest place I've ever been to in London. It's just so colourful and so rich with life. And it just feels like a proper local bit of London that embraces so many different communities.

“I was really spoiled for choice when it came to framing my images. I remember it being really cold and really sunny, like that proper winter sun.

“Moni and Shuily were so lovely and so warm and bubbly that capturing their essence on camera was not difficult to do.”

ACE, our partner organisation in Ely and Caerau, is a lifeline for families on the edge. Nerys provides financial advice to families there and worries about the extreme stress the cost-of-living crisis is causing: “I feel very strongly that the cost-of-living crisis is robbing children of their childhood,” Nerys says. “I'm hearing stories about children saying that they don't want to eat… so mum can eat. Poverty is going to ruin the lives of these young people and they don't deserve this.”

Nerys was celebrated for her contribution to her community – alongside some of the other women we’ve featured.

Photographer Kirsty Mackay:

“I really remember how many conversations Nerys was having the whole time… she would talk to everybody... and just how caring she was.

“I remember Nerys saying how she had gone to school in that area and that she quite often meets people she went to school with. So, in a professional capacity, people who come in to get help are also people that she went to school with, she was intrinsically linked to that place. So, I wanted a shot that was outside in that environment.

“I wanted to make an image where she was rooted to that one spot… quite strong and powerful… it was just about raising her [up] within that community that she is so much a part of.”

“People here are part of the family,” says Ingrid from Wallsend near Newcastle: “As hard as it is to keep going, that’s what drives me”.

Ingrid works 12- to 14-hour days at the Save the Children-supported community hub and cafe she set up, which provides low-cost food, support and social activities. “It feels like there’s a post-war rationing mentality among people now. They’re skipping meals for two days in order to eat the rest of the week”.

“There’s no judgement or anything. People come in and we give them what they need, [not] what we think they should have.”

Photographer Joanne Coates:

“I walked towards Ingrid's cafe, first met by the warm greeting, and secondly by the actual warmth of the space – a respite in such conditions outside and when fuel poverty is so high.

“[Ingrid] introduced us to her daughter, Frankie, who was also helping in the cafe. What really struck me was Frankie's pride in Ingrid.

“Working class women are often the pillars of communities in the North East and their moments together were really special… these amazing women… despite their own circumstances, understanding what their community needs and doing something about it.”

“Christine is at the centre of everything that's going on,” says fellow volunteer, Kelly: “She's always just so happy, so giddy, so warm and friendly.”

Christine, known as ‘Welshy’ for obvious reasons, volunteers at the Cedar Park Pantry Store in Ashton-under-Lyne. Supported by Save the Children, it provides low-income families with affordable, healthy food.

“It’s helping somebody that motivates me,” says Christine, “improving their lives just a little bit… I want to inspire people to say, ‘Yeah, there is light at the end of the tunnel.’”

Photographer Maryam Wahid:

“I travelled from Birmingham to Ashton for my photography commission for Save the Children – an NGO I'd passionately supported for years.

“As the day unfolded, I aimed to frame Christine iconically… to encapsulate her spirited nature within the surroundings, emphasising her heroic community support.

“Witnessing [the volunteers’] dedication and kindness, contributing time and resources to nourish families, left an incredible mark on me. These unsung heroes, their impact, and the rewarding nature of selfless contribution continue to inspire me.”

TURKEY

“I wish this earthquake hadn't happened. I wish no one had died or suffered. I wish people hadn't been hurt,” ten-year-old Eylül* told us. When the earthquake struck Turkey in February, Eylül and her cousin Sümeyye*, 7, both lost loved ones and their homes were damaged.

Now their extended families live in two neighbouring tents, close to the cows, cockerels and bees kept by Eylül*’s family. The girls often play in the grassy area nearby. Together they like to kick a football around, pick flowers and draw.

Save the Children's emergency response means we were able to support families like theirs by providing mental health and psychosocial support, along with food and hygiene kits.

Photographer John Owens:

“My eye was immediately drawn to a tractor parked nearby. It felt like a perfect backdrop. It reflected the fact they were farmers and was also large enough for the mothers and their children to pose together, showing their close bond as two related families. Even better, an old rug was draped over the bonnet, echoing the patterns on their dresses. One of the mothers tried to move the rug, and I quickly asked that she leave it in place! 

“One thing that really stayed with me after the trip was their sense of strength and unity in the face of incredible hardship, as well as their determination to stay in the village they call home despite the challenges. Hopefully I was able to capture some of that in this image.” 

JORDAN

“When I play football, I feel happy, full of energy and optimism,” says 13-year-old Jana*.

Jana was finding it difficult to make friends and was being bullied when she joined Save the Children’s Coaching for Life programme, run in partnership with the Arsenal Foundation, which harnesses the power of football to improve the wellbeing of children who’ve fled the war in Syria. She’s made lots of friends and her confidence has soared: “It changed Jana 180 degrees, it changed my daughter,” says her mother, Amari.

Photographer Charlie Forgham-Bailey:

“We had already spent some time with Jana [when we were] invited to her house to meet the rest of her family. 

“Jana asked me, via the interpreter Israa, to wait. She came back dressed in the special outfit she planned to wear for Eid. I photographed her on her own and then asked if her mother would like to join. I didn’t need to direct them – it was easy to feel the bond they had, and the pose was entirely natural and led by them.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Alison, a mother and now beekeeper, lives in the Solomon Islands. It’s a microcosm for climate change: ferocious winds and rains have wrecked the mangroves that were a natural buffer for the islands, so homes and crops are being destroyed.

As families like Alison’s fight this existential threat, Save the Children is working with local NGO, Mai Maasina Green Belt, restoring protective ecosystems like mangroves and training communities how to keep bees. Bees pollinate the mangroves, helping them grow to protect the islands, and produce sweet honey for community farmers to sell.

Photographer Conor Ashleigh:

“I fondly remember this moment as a single photo that captures the broader moment of genuine excitement for the community. After a few days of theory and building new bee hives, they finally had a chance to try on their new suits. The individual's quiet Melanesian sense of pride was palpable, and both men and women alike would often giggle with delight while helping each other get dressed.

“Luckily, a few of the beekeepers decided to use their smokers while walking, and it helps give the harsh midday light bouncing off the white beekeeping suits a little touch of magic.”

Justus lives in the same community as Alison. His father is taking part in the beekeeping training supported by Save the Children. Together they ride a wooden dug-out canoe to the sessions through a crocodile-infested mangrove estuary.

The mangroves and the bees have a symbiotic relationship – the bees shelter in the mangroves and pollinate them in turn. And when they grow strong, the plants protect the islands – along with wildlife and food sources – from storms and high tides. They even store carbon deposits that don’t make their way into the atmosphere, effectively slowing climate change globally.

Photographer Conor Ashleigh:

“Justus was one of many children whose parents were taking part in beekeeping training. I noticed Justus had arrived, but this day it was different as he was carrying his pet hornbill. Hornbills inhabit the surrounding rainforest. However, it is not overly familiar for them to be raised inside a home. The other children watched on with equal parts fascination and trepidation. They were eager to give it a pat but scared of its large beak.

“Eventually, the urge to take part in penalty kicks was too great, and Justus let his hornbill fly up and perch itself in a tree. This photo was taken as the football ended, and Justus had returned to the ground after retrieving his hornbill. A few remaining kids milled around while others sang out goodbye as they finally heeded their mother’s calls and returned home.”

George’s future is threatened by rising sea levels. He took part in Save the Children training programme called Growing Food, Livelihoods and Resilience – one of the ways we’re supporting communities to build sustainable, climate adaptive gardens and grow more food.

George also joined a creative workshop we organised to give a group of children the opportunity to express themselves creatively on how climate change has affected them.

Photographer Conor Ashleigh:

“Time was against us; sunset and dusk had come and gone. Our dingy idled 20 metres further into the ocean as our colleagues waited patiently.

“I asked George to climb atop a fallen tree, the largest of a number that now rested in the shallow waters on the edge of the village – a constant reminder of the changing climate and its impact on their way of life. I was fortunate that for this portrait with George we had a full moon that was already well and truly in the sky.

“George, like many of the young people, was happy to move around for different angles, and when night had subsumed most of the light, I showed him the photos, and he nodded with a smile as his face was backlit by the camera's LCD screen as I scrolled through.”

KENYA

In remote parts of North-West Kenya, families are facing the consequences of prolonged drought brought on by climate change. Saadia’s* livestock died and then her two-year-old daughter, Aisha*, fell ill with malnutrition. "In the middle of the night, I was scared... I held her hand," Saadia recalled.

They set out on a day-long journey to the Save the Children-supported Hospital, where Aisha received vital medical care and soon gained weight and strength, much to Saadia’s relief: "If she is healthy, I can be happy."

Photographer Esther Mbabzi:

“The moment in this image was heart-warming because we had spent a couple of days following and documenting Saadia* and her baby, Aisha*, at the paediatric ward.

“On the first day we got there, the baby was very weak, feeding through a tube, and the mother was very worried. Over the days, Aisha's health was improving and on the day I made this image, she was fully recovering, playing again and the mother was also happy and engaging in a really beautiful, tender way with the child. They were discharged from hospital shortly after that.”

ETHIOPIA

A photo-series by Ethiopian photographer Mahader Haileselassie Tadese explores the link between climate change and increased cases of child marriage. Double exposures feature portraits overlaid with the scorched landscape.

Salma* is part of a Save the Children community group, which campaigns against violent parenting, FGM and early marriage. Early marriage is rising as climate change becomes a daily threat to people’s survival, destroying crops and killing livestock. “I have some friends who have been married early, when the drought affected their family,” says Salma: “They think that they are helping their families by marrying early.”

Photographer : Maheder Haileselassie Tadese

“The weather was too hot so [Salma’s*] neighbours were kind enough to provide us with a rug. We took some rest under a tree shade while waiting for her to arrive.

“Salma was not a very shy girl, but neither was she outspoken. I was not sure whether my presence with a camera made her feel uneasy so my first conversation with her was complimenting the beautiful art on her hands. Traditionally, women in this region of Ethiopia paint their hands with various designs and I've always found it fascinating.

“The paint on her hands was obviously fading but I thought we could ask her to do it on paper and then find a way to incorporate it into her portrait… this is one of my favourite portraits because in a way it's a collaboration.”

BOLIVIA

3,700 metres above sea level, Nimia and her family grow potatoes, freezing them outdoors to make chuño, a dried potato product. But drought and a hard frost badly affected this winter’s crop and some days they couldn’t afford food. So, with Save the Children’s support, Nimia started a baking business.

At first Nimia’s husband Héctor decorated the cakes – putting his bricklaying skills to good use – but when he went away for work, Nimia learnt to do it herself. Now the family can afford essentials like food and wool. They can save a little too – just in case.

NEPAL

Across the world, girls are leading the charge against child marriage, climate change, and their devastating consequences. “We are stopping child marriage,” announces 14-year-old Nisha*: “It has to stop completely”.

Thanks in part to Nisha’s efforts as a member of a Save the Children-supported ‘Child Club’, child marriage is falling rapidly in her community in Dailekh, Nepal. She’s been instrumental in preventing four child marriages, helping to alert the local authorities who intervened.

At the Child Club she’s learned about other issues such as health and climate change, and has run a campaign to reduce the use of plastic and consumption of junk food in her community.

Photographer Suzanne Lee:

“Nisha was an outstanding child leader to work with during this shoot. She proudly showed me her handwritten poster-sized schedule on her bedroom wall. She wakes every morning at 4.30am to start her busy day, which includes organising the child club activities, attending meetings with government officials, and campaigning against the use of plastics and the consumption of junk food.

“In this photo, she was getting ready for school at the mirror where she often practises her speeches to boost her confidence for her many public-speaking roles.

“Nisha continues to inspire me with her determination to make positive change not only within her community and country, but also in her boundless belief that we can collectively make a change.”

COLOMBIA

Fourteen-year-old Dleth lives in a small community in the northernmost tip of Colombia. He is part of a tribe called the Wayuu, who are the largest indigenous group in this region of the country.

Life here is increasingly challenging due to the high temperatures and a lack of water. "What we need in the community is water,” says Dleth: “There is no water for the goats to drink, the ponds have dried up, and there is little water in the water reservoir."

Dleth took part in a workshop run by Save the Children where he learned about climate change and deforestation and how to build resilience in his community. 

Photographer Angela Ponce:

“We were with the Save the Children team in La Guajira when we met Dleth. We spent part of the day with him and his family, while he shared with us some of his knowledge and history. We had the opportunity to learn some words in his traditional language, Wayunaki.

“Dleth told us how proud he is of his origins, but that living in ‘La rancheria’ (a group of houses that belong to the same family group) is increasingly complicated.

“At dusk, he took us to one of his favourite places, which unfortunately has been affected by climate change and drought. There he showed us how he used to play when he was a child with a traditional toy – a car made with wood and cactus remains.”

IRAQ

Nine-year-old Wassan lives in Abu Alkhaseeb with her father, Musleh* and her siblings. Musleh has worked as a daily labour since the family farming business folded.

“In our farm we used to plant dates, pomegranates, and other vegetables and fruits,” explains Wassan. “But now they are all dying, they say it’s because it’s not raining,” she adds.

As the sole breadwinner for his family, Musleh is concerned about what will happen to them. They’ve moved to an informal settlement, where Save the Children will start providing psychosocial support to the family and help them access financial support.

Photographer Emily Garthwaite:

“He's a very warm and cosy father. [The fishing] industry has all but collapsed. And so they're using the old fishing nets to stop birds from picking their vegetables. I feel like it's such a representation of this shift in their lifestyle and society.

“You don't get to see these very, very gentle, loving depictions of the men in the region. This is the Iraq that I know and the Iraq that I want people to see.”

Ten-year-old Haidar* lives in Abu Al-Khaseeb, where the effects of climate change are impossible to ignore. His father works as a guard, but the family has lost its main source of income from agriculture due to an increase in water salinity, rising sea levels, drought and heat waves. Their animals died drinking the salty water, and Haidar had to help his grandfather bury the dead animals.

Save the Children provides psychosocial and child protection and financial support to families like Haidar’s. One day, Haidar would like to become a teacher, so he can bring change to his community.

Photographer Emily Garthwaite:

“[The family] house is divided by a very small canal with quite a treacherous bridge that you have to cross over. And on the other side, they've got this very small, modest fish farm, which is covered with reeds and marsh plants. Haida and his cousins were playing football between these marshlands.

“I photographed him in this very lush green space… it's sort of a small utopia and I thought he looked so beautiful being framed amongst all of this green when actually a lot of what we were seeing was very desertified land. I think it's better to photograph what has survived than what's been lost.”

This is the second photograph of Haidar* by Emily, who worked on this shoot with Save the Children Iraq. After school, Haidar helps his parents with house chores and joins his grandfather on the farm. Like kids the world over, he loves playing and watching football. 

Climate change is a hot topic at home: “My grandfather always speaks about how agriculture is not paying off, and how we all should find other jobs,” says Haidar. “When I grow up, I don’t want to work in farming like my grandfather, I want to become a teacher”.

Photographer Emily Garthwaite:

“​​It's very difficult in Iraq with the daylight. Even as the sun sets, it's always very brief because the land is so flat. This image was made at around 11 in the morning, the light was super bright. Oftentimes I just look for a single light source. I think it's the most cinematic way to photograph.

“I asked Haidar where he does his homework and to my astonishment, it was in this incredible spot in their living room. On the floor, just out of view, is his newborn baby sister, who's kind of cooing and sleeping beside him. He’s there because he's got the most cushions and comfort – that bed is where his uncle or grandfather sleeps.”

MALAWI

The legacy of Save the Children support is strong in Balaka District, Malawi. All the women in this picture are involved in running the village preschool and bank: both were set up during the project and are still going strong today.

The women are standing in a plot that was given to a nutrition project for families to grow maize for porridge to be cooked and given to children at the nursery, to encourage them to come. As agricultural needs have changed, they’ve converted it to grow trees for firewood.

Photographer Sam Vox:

“During our visit we saw firsthand the profound impact [the women’s] efforts have on the children's development and education. Part of their success in supporting children and their education is to serve porridge at the school. This incentive not only means that children get nutritional meals but also encourages more parents to send their children to school, to receive the education they deserve.”

“During our conversation they spoke about a piece of land that they were gifted by the village chief. Instead of buying firewood, they will be able to grow and use their own. As soon as I saw the beautiful backdrop of the mountain ranges, I knew that’s where I wanted to take their photo.

“To me this photograph not only shows the beauty of their landscapes but also the togetherness of their community in building something for their children and future.”

Though this collection is not meant to be exhaustive, one notable absence is Gaza – the most dangerous place to be a child right now. The situation is so dangerous that we couldn’t risk the lives of photojournalists by commissioning them here, but our work hasn’t stopped. Here’s how Save the Children is responding in Gaza and how you can help.

You can also read more about our work on the climate crisis.

All of the families and communities photographed have received support from Save the children.

Photographer responses have been edited for clarity and length.

*Children’s names changed here to keep them safe.