World Children's Day 2025: Children in conflict zones share their wishes
Today, 520 million children—one in five—live in active conflict zones, the highest figure ever recorded. Many more families are living lives heavily impacted by armed violence – in refugee camps far from home, or in countries that have been devastated by years of warfare. What do these children wish for?
Medical teams know that for children wounded in war, more must be done both to save young lives and to help them recover from their injuries. In conflict-hit areas around the world, specialist training and equipment adapted to their smaller bodies are urgently needed.
Adequate food, vaccinations and healthcare often remain extremely difficult for families to access, even when the peak of active violence has passed. Malnutrition makes children especially vulnerable to infectious diseases, so saving lives in conflict-affected areas requires more than the urgency of trauma care.
Healing isn’t just about survival, it’s about recovery. Childhood is a vital time for brain development, and continual exposure to the fear, loss and hardship of armed conflict can have long-term impacts on children’s psychological health. Opportunities to learn, grow, and feel safe again are a vital part of the care children need, whether that’s a conversation with a counsellor or a play session at the hospital.
At MSF, our teams are working to address these challenges in our medical projects worldwide. Listening to children themselves is essential. In MSF hospitals and clinics in areas affected by conflict, we asked children: “If you had one wish, what would it be?” This is what they told us...
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"I want to go home," Oumar, 2, Mali
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"I want milk," Coulibaly, 3, Mali
"I want some cookies," Yacouba, 3, Mali
"I wish to become well and to have toys in the kindergarten,” Mohammed, 3, Sudan
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"I want to have candy and chocolate,” Ilias, 4, Niger
“I wish become a doctor and distribute sweets to all Sudanese people”, Abag, 4, Sudan
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"I just want to play,” Cecile, 5, Burkina Faso
"I would like some candy,” Farmata, 5, Mali
“I wish to become a doctor to treat the wounded people,” Abrar, 5, Sudan
"I wish to return to my village and have lots of toys so I can play with them all the time,” Maria, 5, Syria
"I wish to become a doctor,” Omar, 5, Syria
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"My wish is to go home, play with my friends, and watch television," Mohamed, 6, Burkina Faso
“I wish to become well,” Mansour, 6, Sudan
“I wish I had a doll to play with,” Sarah, 6, Syria
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"I wish I could go to school," Amina, 7, Afghanistan
"I wish I had a mother and that she could always be always with me," Raihanah, 7, Afghanistan
"My wish is to go home, go to school, and play with my friends," Hamidou, 7, Burkina Faso
"My wish is to get better so my mum can buy me a ball. That's what she promised me," Lassi, 7, Mali
"I want the war to stop so I can return to my village [in Mali]," Abdallahi, 7, Mauritania
“I wish my brother could play with me without being in pain,” Rami, 7, Syria
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"I wish I had toys to play with my friends in the neighbourhood like the other children who aren't sick,” Houleyata, 8, Mali
"My wish is to get better and go home to herd the animals in the fields with my dad," Amassagou, 8, Mali
"I want to have a room and toys at home," Zeina, 8, Mauritania
“I wish I had a new pair of shoes,” Bilal, 8, Syria
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"I wish my friends were here with me so we could play together," Ahmadou, 9, Mali
“I wish to work with MSF to support the family,” Nyachara, 9, South Sudan
"I wish I could go to school and play with my friends," Fatima, 9, Syria
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“My only wish is that my mother finds a job so we can go to school because education is the most important thing, and that she lives a long life for us,” Amani, 10, DRC
“I just want to get better and go home to school. I miss my friends,” Hamidou, 10, Mali
“I want new clothes and a real ball,” Amadou, 10, Mauritania
“Even though I'm a little old, I want to go to school and learn," Elbou, 10, Mauritania
“I want to become a Malam (great marabout) to teach the Quran to other Muslims." Fantaou, 10, Niger
“I want to become a health worker to help sick people." Moussa, 10, Niger
“I just want to be healthy,” Ousseini, 10 years old, Niger
“I want to study and support my family,” David, 10, South Sudan
“I wish to work in a hospital and teach children as well,” Nyakoy, 10, South Sudan
“I want to become a doctor,” Sarah, 10, South Sudan
“I wish to become an engineer to rebuild Sudan,” Fahd, 10, Sudan
“My wish is to return to school and study until I become a doctor who treats people who don’t have money." – Abdulaziz, 10, Syria
“I wish our tent would become warm and safe,” Dima, 10, Syria
“I wish the pain and marks from these burns would go away,” Omar, 10, Syria
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"I wish to get well,” Mohammad, 11, Afghanistan
"May the Lord bless my parents with money so they can continue to pay for my schooling," Asifwe, 11, Democratic Republic of the Congo
"I wish to find peace and grow up in a better world," Taya, 11, Mauritania
"I want to get healthy so I can go home." Mahamadou, 11, Niger
“I wish our cattle were safe and we didn’t have to hide,” Manyang, 11, South Sudan
"My wish is to become a surgeon and be proud of myself,” Abduljabar, 11, Syria
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“I hope my little brother gets better so we can go back to the village,” Boureima, 12, Mali
“I want to grow up and build schools for my village,” Moulaye, 12, Mauritania
“I want to become a nurse to take care of children,” Kadaï Moustapha, 12, Niger
“I want to become a health worker." Koula Madou, 12, Niger
“I want to become a Malam (great marabout)." Mahamadou Moustapha, 12, Niger
“I wish we could live in our home without running away,” Nyaguot, 12, South Sudan
“ I want the sound of airplanes to stop, and for the shooting to stop also,” Mustafa, 12, Sudan
“I wish to get better and go back home to my family, so I’m not away from them anymore,” Hamza, 12, Syria
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“I wish I could go to school,” Atiqullah, 13, Afghanistan
“I wish for my baby brother to get better and come home to our family,” Saoudata, 13, Burkina Faso
“I wish to beocme a county commissioner,” Kai, 13, South Sudan
“I wish everyone in my village could drink clean water,” Nyandor, 13, South Sudan
“I wish to become a professional footballer,” Mutasim, 13, Syria
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“I wish my father would come back home safely,” Bol, 14, South Sudan
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“May the Lord bless my mother with a job so that we may be happy and live in good conditions,” Espoir, 15, DRC
“May God grant my little brother good health so we can all go home,” Ali, 15, Niger
“I wish to become a teacher,” Nyanaath, 15, South Sudan
“I wish for peace so I can see my cousins in the next village,” Ruot, 15, South Sudan
“I wish electricity would always be available in our area,” Hasan, 15, Syria
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“I wish to become a doctor and be independent,” Duong, 16, South Sudan
How we work
Our life-saving interventions are both varied and vital, responding to war and disease outbreaks, to shock catastrophes and chronic healthcare crises.
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is world-renowned for working in conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters – the humanitarian events that hit the headlines.
However, we also run long-term projects – some of which stretch over decades – helping people caught up in complex and under-reported healthcare emergencies.