As humanitarian, wetin dey push me na di sabi say di work wey I dey do dey make real difference for di life of plenty pikin dem. Di belief say all human life get di same value na im dey give me and my fellow aid workers di ginger to continue, even when wahala plenty.

But today, we dey face one kind wahala wey pass wetin we fit imagine: di kain pain wey dey come when person go choose who go survive and who dem go leave behind. Dis kain mata no be wetin we suppose accept at all.

Di recent cut for foreign aid don put humanitarian organisations for tight corner. At di time wey one out of every 11 pikin for di world need help, dem dey force us to choose one crisis over another, one community over another, and finally, one pikin life over another.

We don already stop some life-saving programs wey dey pain us well well. Dis one mean say some pikin wey dey suffer malnutrition no go get treatment or newborn babies for war zone no go get di medical care wey dem need. Dis no be just logistics wahala; na ethical crisis wey dey shake di foundation of wetin we stand for.

Save the Children start more than 100 years ago by one woman wey get strong mind and moral courage, Eglantyne Jebb. She start di organisation to fight for pikin rights, save lives, protect families, reduce suffering, and bring back dignity. Today, we dey work for 115 countries and dey help over 105 million pikin every year. We dey always dey among di first people to respond when emergency happen, and our commitment to every pikin no dey negotiable.

But now, di principles wey we stand for dey face big threat. For dis time wey global wahala like conflict, climate change, and economic instability dey increase, di rich countries like US, UK, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, France, and others dey cut their aid budgets. Dis kain action no just be moral failure, e dey also show say dem no dey think well about di future.

If we no address poverty, instability, and health wahala for di world, e go only make di world more insecure. Di wahala no dey respect border; e dey spread go everywhere. When we turn our back on di most vulnerable people, na di seed of future wahala we dey plant, and na di pikin dem go suffer pass.

For 2024, di number of people wey war, violence, and persecution don displace reach 120 million—di same as di population of Japan. Most of dem dey spend more than 10 years away from their home. Dem dey always talk say their biggest dream na to go back home. Aid dey help dem return.

For Ukraine, we don help families like Natalia* and her daughter Sofiya* repair their house wey war damage. For Ethiopia, we don support women like Rukia* to start small business and rebuild their life. Aid dey help rebuild society, bring stability, and boost economic recovery.

Aid also dey help people wey dey stuck for displacement camps, like Aliya* and Zahra* for Al Hol detention camp for Syria. Dem grow up for di camp, and dem no dey welcome for their country. Even though dem dey try smile, di pain for their eyes dey tell di story of wetin dem no cause.

Di decision to cut aid dey short-sighted. Di number of pikin wey dey live for conflict zones don almost double for di past 30 years, while di money wey countries dey spend on military don reach $2.4 trillion for 2023. Meanwhile, di investment for conflict prevention and humanitarian aid dey reduce.

Di 2025 global humanitarian appeal dey ask for $44.7 billion to help 190 million people for 32 countries and nine refugee-hosting regions. If dem fund am well, na just $235 per person per year—less than di price of coffee for many Western countries. Di 2024 appeal na only 45% dem fund. To call aid inefficient na lie and manipulation.

For Gaza, Haiti, and Sudan, our teams dey overwhelmed by di number of pikin wey need help after dem don see things wey no pikin suppose see. For Congo, armed groups dey target and kidnap pikin to recruit dem. We no fit close eye to dis kain wahala. Investment for development and humanitarian aid no be charity—e dey important for di future and na moral responsibility.

With di money wey dey reduce, aid workers dey face hard choices: we go feed pikin for drought area or give medical care to di ones for war zone? We go respond to flood or invest for climate resilience? Each decision mean some pikin go get help, while others no go get.

Dis moral burden dey heavy for all aid workers. Save the Children believe say every pikin life get equal value, but di truth be say when money no dey, lives dey lost. Di world dey change, and di risks dey increase. Di question no be whether we fit continue aid, but whether we fit afford not to. Dis na time for solidarity and shared responsibility.

Governments get big role to play for aid. We no fit accept future wey mean say to save some lives, we go leave others. Because wetin go make one life worth less than another?

As our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, talk: “We gatz touch di imagination of di world. Di world no wicked, but e dey busy and no dey think far.”

E don reach time to imagine world wey compassion and solidarity go dey pass mistrust and division—a world wey every pikin life go matter.