How a Muse concert will help War Child support those impacted by the war in Ukraine

Rock titans Muse are performing at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London on May 10 to raise money for The Big Issue – and you can win tickets here. The night before that, they are also playing to raise funds for War Child and Medecins Sans Frontieres.

As the only charity for children affected by conflict, War Child’s mission is to educate, support and protect the rights of children in conflict.  

Filmmakers David Wilson and Bill Leeson and social entrepreneur Willemijn Verloop established the NGO in 1993, after the trio witnessed the horrors of the ethnic cleansing and the violence towards children in former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian war (1992-95). Today, War Child UK helps children in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Yemen and now, Ukraine.   

From assisting children separated from families to those who have experienced sexual violence, War Child ensures millions of children across the world don’t have their future destroyed by conflict. They establish child-friendly spaces in refugee camps, lead education classes and champion young people to stand up for their rights. 

War Child’s Dean Anderson explains more about its work.

We are thrilled to be benefitting from this amazing event, and incredibly grateful to Muse for their generosity and support.

At War Child we are driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child living through war. We go to some of the hardest to reach places to support those who are hardest hit, and work with local communities and governments to protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for safer, brighter future.  

We understand children’s needs, respect and stand up for their rights, and put them at the centre of everything we do. Every day, our local teams are in communities and in refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn and access psychological support, and we specialise in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations to deliver immediate and critical care to help to those who need us most, when they need us most.  

So when the crisis in Ukraine unfolded – we were quick to respond.

To date, our team has set up protection activities at the borders of Ukraine delivering life-saving aid and psychological care through partnerships with local and national organisations.

In Moldova we are delivering child protection and psychosocial support through 50 mobile teams and Child Friendly Spaces where children can play, learn and process their experiences with trained psychologists.

We are supporting refugees in accommodation centres throughout the country and supporting those seeking advice and information. We are also working with Moldova’s largest anti-trafficking organisation to prevent vulnerable people from falling into the hands of traffickers.

In Romania, we are helping to coordinate social services by working with 26 local organisations to protect refugee children, particularly to ensure safeguarding of highly vulnerable children such as those with disabilities. We are also training teachers, social workers and caregivers in psychological first aid and the unique needs of a child who has witnessed conflict.

Furthermore, in Ukraine we are exploring partnerships with local organisations to deliver psychological first aid and provide emergency cash assistance to vulnerable families where children who have stayed and are at particular risk.

Right now, all donations made up to the 31 May 2022 will be doubled by the UK government through UK Aid Match. Public donations will go towards supporting our continued response in Ukraine, and other conflicts like Afghanistan, while matched funding by the UK government will fund a specialised project to support the millions of children still in need of critical support in Yemen.

There is no better time to support War Child, and stand with children all over the world, who are living through conflict.

Dean Anderson is communications and fundraising director at War Child