The Weekly Pulse

News From Organizations and Coalitions in Advocacy for Children and Young People Globally
Volume 287

August 13, 2026
​Quick Summary

$2 billion in new US funding for health and humanitarian assistance largely channeled to faith-based groups: The State Department announced on August 6 that it would provide nearly $2 billion in additional health and humanitarian assistance funds, largely channeled to faith-based organizations. The awards include up to $850 million over five years, subject to the availability of funds, to World Vision and a consortium of local faith-based implementers to support the delivery of healthcare services through faith-based hospitals, clinics and community hubs, and the training and support of community health workers. An additional $570 million will be provided to faith-based and community hospitals and clinics directly through funding in the Memorandums of Understanding signed with country governments under the America First Global Health Strategy. The State Department also announced $538 million in humanitarian response funding for Samaritan’s Purse and a consortium jointly led by World Vision and Compassion International. The move follows other recent announcements of US humanitarian assistance to large INGOs and international organizations, including $200 million to the Red Cross/Red Crescent in July, $1 billion to UNICEF and the World Food Programme in June, $240 million to Catholic Relief Services in June, and two awards totalling $3.8 billion to OCHA in May and December. Devex reported that the awards are the largest allocation of global health aid to faith-based organizations in over two decades. They noted that while the Administration has criticized large INGOs as having high overhead costs in the past, the announcement asserts that the organizations have committed to reducing overhead costs to ensure higher percentages of funds than in the past reach local-level players – but experts warn that they may simply be replacing one set of large intermediaries with another. 

Ebola: On August 5, UNICEF said that 330 children had died from the epidemic and that disruption of services and fear of infection had driven a decline of over 40% in childhood immunizations, safe deliveries, and essential healthcare.  The same day, the State Department announced an additional $242 million in funding for immediate response and humanitarian assistance to the Ebola outbreak in East Africa, nearly doubling its financial commitment (Associated Press). Prior to the announcement, on July 31, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take swift action to protect women and infants from the deadly impact of the outbreak, calling on the Trump Administration to use congressionally appropriated funds for voluntary family planning programming to distribute already purchased family planning commodities and back the UN Population Fund’s health clinics operating in the region. The Senators emphasized the catastrophic toll of Ebola on pregnant women, and warned that conflict and displacement in Ituri and North Kivu—in addition to increases in gender-based and sexual violence and transactional and survival sex—are exacerbating the outbreak. The State Department announcement did not specifically address their request.

Children and tech: On August 7, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay  $567 million into a teen mental health fund and make changes to how young people can use its platforms. The ruling adds to the $375 million fine levied against Meta in the same case in March, after a jury found that it had misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young people. (NY Times, Associated Press, The Guardian). Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research Justin Mazzola said, “This verdict is an important step towards creating safer social media for children and young people . . . Crucially, the court went beyond imposing a financial penalty. By ordering changes to platform features, including removing ‘like’ counts for people under 18 and restricting overnight notifications, the ruling recognizes that the harms children experience online are often the result of deliberate design choices.”  On August 11, a San Francisco court ruled that more than 3,000 similar lawsuits across the country against Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap, and other tech firms can move forward (Time). At the global level, the UN called for urgent action to protect children from online information risks. A new brief published on August 10 warned that children and young people bear the brunt of the risks from disinformation, harassment, algorithmic biases and the malicious use of AI, and called for child and youth participation and multi-stakeholder responsibility. World Vision explored how the increasing use of AI in humanitarian response, when used poorly, can make the most vulnerable children harder to see.

Children and climate: A June 10 paper from UNICEF warns of the disproportionate impact of climate change on children and assesses progress toward integrating child rights and child-critical social services into national climate policy processes. Their analysis found progress, with 70% of national climate commitments assessed as child-responsive, up from 49% in the previous cycle. The brief notes that the latest plans “demonstrate deeper integration of children’s rights considerations, greater recognition of child- and youth-specific vulnerabilities and associated responses, and more systematic approaches to inclusion than previous submissions, suggesting that attention to children is increasingly being mainstreamed within national climate policy rather than treated as a marginal or optional consideration.”

More on how the AI philanthropy windfall should be spent on children: In last week’s issue, we covered a new blog series from the Center for Global Development that identified several investments in children as “highly cost-effective” areas for new philanthropic investment stemming from the AI boom. In a newer blog on August 6, Lee Crawfurt notes that while education funding provides long-term returns, the evidence for education as the strongest return on the investment of development dollars is uncertain –  but there is a normative case to be made for funding education. He identifies 34 high-impact NGOs doing important work, while noting that the greatest route to scale and sustainability in education is through governments.

Children and humanitarian crises: 
  • A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit one of the poorest regions of Colombia on August 10. Children’s organizations, including Save the Children, Plan International, and World Vision, warned that children are among the most vulnerable in the aftermath of earthquakes. UNICEF noted that “authorities estimate that 796 schools have been affected, raising concerns about disruptions to learning and access to safe spaces for children.”
  • On August 7, the UN Security Council held an informal session on safeguarding education in Sudan. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the Security Council that five in six children are out of school in Sudan as a result of the 3-year-old civil war (Al Jazeera). UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hannan Sulieman said the United Nations has verified across Sudan more than 67 attacks on schools and over 154 instances of military use of schools - figures representing only documented incidents, while the true scale of attacks on schools is undoubtedly much greater.
  • UNICEF said on August 6 that at least 300 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza in the 300 days since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025, an average of one a day. 
  • Ahead of World Humanitarian Day, World Vision warned on August 10 that a surge in attacks on humanitarian workers, including the increasing use of drones, is leaving children cut off from the help they need most. “When aid workers are attacked or blocked from reaching people in need, children are left waiting for food, medicine and protection that may never come,” they said.

UNESCO calls for restoration of the right to education for Afghan girls and women: On August 11, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said that five years after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, girls and women remain barred from formal education beyond the primary level. They estimate that 2.4 million girls are excluded from secondary education, which is “a grave violation of their fundamental human right to learn and risks condemning Afghanistan to decades of lost potential, deepening poverty, and irreversible harm.” UNESCO warned, “At a time when nearly half of Afghans live below the poverty line, denying girls and women access to education and restricting their employment further undermines their ability to support their families and contribute to the country’s economic future. This exclusion also has harmful consequences on the wellbeing, mental and physical health of girls and women, while increasing the risks of early marriage.” For more, see the Associated Press and Al Jazeera coverage.

US policy and funding trackers: Several organizations have published or updated resources tracking the latest US policy and funding decisions:
  • The Center for Global Development blog post, “Where the Trump Administration’s Global Health Agreements Stand,” tracks the status of more than 30 bilateral global health cooperation agreements.
  • The Council on Foreign Relations’ “U.S. Government Deal Tracker” shows how the government is experimenting with new tools and financing structures to advance a range of strategic sectors, including critical minerals, energy, global logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and other technologies.
  • KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation) has updated its series of fact sheets on the Trump Administration’s foreign aid review, which look at the current status of US programs and their impact on services and outcomes in 11 areas, including maternal and child health, PEPFAR, family planning and reproductive health, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and GAVI, among others.

Spotlight
The impact of foreign assistance cuts on children

Several new reports and news articles highlight a variety of impacts that U.S. and other foreign assistance cuts have had on children. The reporting and analysis show an intensifying record of severe and life-threatening consequences, rapid reversal of decades of progress, and increasing threats to the well-being of generations to come.

  • A June report from Inclusive Development Partners, “When Programs End Overnight: The Impact of the Dismantling of USAID on Persons with Disabilities,” found multiple impacts of the termination of USAID disability-inclusive programs affecting children. They found children with disabilities immediately stopped attending school, a significant increase in the number of children on the streets, and the closure of health programs; these conditions place children with disabilities in “acute danger.” The report documented “a sharp rise in families reporting the need to place their children with disabilities in institutions following USAID’s closure” in multiple countries in Africa. Their research also noted that “no government, donor, or multilateral actor has stepped in to fill the gap” left by the end of USAID funding, and that the closure has “affected trust, hope, and U.S. credibility and global standing in ways that restored funding alone cannot address” as disability-inclusive programs were treated as falling within the scope of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
  • An August 7 article from the Brookings Institution explored how the new America First Global Health Strategy “could erode years of progress under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).” They said that funding cuts could undermine hard-won gains in HIV prevalence and prevention of orphanhood, among other impacts. It warns, “Programs run by local NGOs—supporting AIDS orphans and their caregivers, community-based testing and treatment for people living far from public health clinics, and targeted services for high-risk adolescent girls—will not be continued under the new approach unless the countries themselves decide to organize and fund them.” The piece notes the bipartisan Congressional support that PEPFAR has enjoyed and calls for Congressional action.
  • The Aid Report’s latest paper on the impact of US foreign assistance cuts, issued August 3, focuses on the humanitarian assistance sector. It notes, among other impacts, the closure of 250 safe spaces for women and girls, the loss of safe spaces for children to play, increases in child marriage and child labor, loss of treatment for severe acute child malnutrition, and increases in deaths among severely malnourished children.
  • The Washington Post reported on August 11 that aid groups report a surge in malnutrition in Somalia after aid cuts, with Médecins Sans Frontières reporting an 83% increase in hospital admissions for severe malnutrition and a malnutrition prevalence of 47% among children in the camps in Baidoa. The Trump Administration has cut virtually all aid to Somalia. ​
EVENTS​​
  • NEW: Education Finance Network and the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies webinar, “Education in Emergencies: Opportunities in a Changing Funding Landscape.”
  • ISPCAN conference, “Transforming Approaches to Safety and Healing.” August 24-27. Melbourne, Australia.
  • The Stellenbosch University Faculty of Law International Conference on Children's Rights on the theme "Children's Rights in a Polycrisis.” September 8. Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
  • World Vision webinar, “Advancing Budget Advocacy to Increase Investments in Child Protection Services.” September 9.
  • ToZero and Spitfire Strategies learning lab, “Using Social Media to Promote Prevention,” to strengthen communications across the childhood sexual violence prevention field. September 10.
  • NEW: Multiple partners webinar, “From Commitment to Action: Financing Inclusive Education for Every Child.”
  • Ariadne Network, in collaboration with the European AI & Society Fund, funders-only briefing, “To ban or not to ban: protecting children from AI in Europe.” Contact [email protected]. September 15.
  • 2026 What Works Hub for Global Education Conference. September 15-16. Oxford, UK.
  • Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health Annual UNGA Accountability Breakfast, “From Pledges to Progress: Accountability for Financing to Improve Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health and Well-being.” September 21. New York City, USA, and online.
  • UN General Assembly 81st Session High-Level Week. September 22–28, New York, USA.
  • Center for Human Rights of Addis Ababa University and partners, “International Conference on Advancing Adolescent Resilience and Rights in a Changing World.” September 22-23. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Call for abstract submissions, due August 20.
  • Wings Forum 2026. September 28-30. Montreal, Canada.
  • NEW: Daphne-CHILD High Level Conference at the European Economic and Social Committee. October 1.  Brussels, Belgium. Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum 2026. October 5-9. Bangkok, Thailand. 
  • ISSA 2026 conference, “Integrated Early Childhood Systems for Every Child’s Wellbeing.” October 22-23. Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, November 18-19. Manila, Philippines.
  • NEW: 2026 Bright Start International Conference, “Early Years Excellence in Practice.” November 19-21. London, Abu Dhabi, and online.
  • Government of Uganda and IPSCAN policy forum, “Africa Regional Rise Up Policy Forum and Huddle.” February 23-25, Kampala, Uganda.

LEARN MORE
​
​​​Blogs, articles, and statements
  • Bond article, “Keeping classrooms open when climate change threatens learning.”
  • Think Global Health article, “Visualizing Bangladesh's Massive Measles Outbreak.”
  • Early Childhood Funders Collaborative blog, “Philanthropy Cannot Be Neutral. This Moment Calls for Bold Action.”
  • ChildFund blog, “When a tree is more than just a tree: How young people in India are confronting extreme heat.”
  • Women’s Refugee Commission press release, “WRC Statement on Administration's Birthright Citizenship Executive Orders.”
  • Women’s Refugee Commission blog, “Reflections from a researcher listening to women in the world’s largest refugee camp.”
  • ICVA oped by World Vision International, “The 1951 Refugee Convention is not just a legal framework - it’s a promise of protection.”
  • Human Rights Watch article, “Liberia Ends Primary School Registration Fees: Policy Expected to Expand Access to Education.”
  • Early Childhood Development Action Network blog, “From Empathy to Equity: How Think Equal Is Scaling Social-Emotional Learning Through Government Systems.”

Research, reports, and resources
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “Right Ingredients, Wrong Recipe: What It Takes to Really Get Children Learning.”
  • KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation) 10 factsheets, “The Trump Administration’s Foreign Aid Review” (updated).
  • SVRI brief, “Survivor-Led Education for Transformation: Ending Violence Against Children in Faith Communities.”

Opportunities
  • Education Cannot Wait call for proposals, “Crisis-Oriented Resilience and Emergency (CORE) Programme” in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Myanmar and South Sudan. Deadline August 14. 
  • Spring Impact training “Scale Accelerator: Preventing childhood sexual violence,” offering a fully funded, six-month training on scaling, open to organisations with proven solutions to preventing childhood sexual violence in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Deadline September 30. 
  • Cities for Better Health call for applications, “Active Play Challenge,” supporting organizations with grants of $50,000–$100,000 USD for practical initiatives that make active play more accessible, inclusive, and equitable for children and young people aged 0–25. Youth-led organizations strongly encouraged. Deadline: August 14.
  • European Union DAPHNE call for proposals for organizations working to prevent and combat gender-based violence, domestic violence, or violence against children. Deadline November 3.

Watch & Listen
  • Women’s Refugee Commission press and policy briefing recording, “WRC Expert Insights: Press and policy briefing on Supreme Court birthright and asylum decisions.”
  • Brookings Center for Universal Education event recording, “Teachers at the frontlines of climate change.”
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The Initiative's weekly newsletter is a collection of updates on coalitions, networks, and organizations that advocate for the U.S. government to support children and young people globally.
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The Children's Policy and Funding Initiative is a pooled funding project at Panorama Global and is made possible through generous funding provided by several leading foundations.