October 9, 2026 · News
From displacement sites in Somalia to overcrowded housing in UK cities, poor children across all five countries where MACWO works are still sleeping without safe, dignified shelter. MACWO is calling for urgent action to close the gap.
Across every country where MACWO works, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and the United Kingdom poor children are growing up without one of the most basic necessities of life: a safe place to sleep.
In Somalia, they are children in congested IDP settlements, in makeshift shelters built from sticks and torn cloth, on flood-prone riverbanks where no services reach. Many have been displaced by drought, conflict or flooding. Many have lost one or both parents. Many care for younger siblings with nothing more than a plastic sheet between them and the night sky.
In Kenya, they are children in drought-affected pastoralist communities and urban informal settlements, sleeping in overcrowded rooms or in the open when families cannot afford rent.
In Uganda, they are refugee children and children from host communities sharing single-room shelters built for half their number.
In Ghana, they are children in rapidly growing urban areas and rural communities where housing is inadequate, unsafe or unaffordable.
And in the United Kingdom, the country where MACWO is registered as a charity they are children in temporary accommodation, overcrowded flats, and families pushed to the edge by the cost-of-living crisis.
For all of these children, shelter is not a luxury. It is survival.
Why shelter matters?
A safe shelter is more than a roof. It is the foundation on which a child's life is built:
Protection: Children with safe shelter are far less exposed to abuse, exploitation, trafficking and gender-based violence.
Health: Shelter protects against pneumonia, malaria, cholera and other diseases that kill children every year.
Dignity: A child with a home has a place to wash, sleep, study and simply be a child.
Education: Children with stable shelter are more likely to stay in school and less likely to drop out.
Recovery: For children who have survived displacement or trauma, a safe home is where healing begins.
Without shelter, none of the other work — education, health, nutrition, protection — can take root. A child who sleeps in the open cannot learn. A child who is cold and wet cannot thrive.
### What MACWO is doing — across five countries
MACWO's shelter work already spans the communities we serve in all five countries of operation:
Somalia: Transitional shelter kits, child-friendly spaces, and rehabilitation of damaged homes in displacement sites and return areas.
Kenya:Emergency shelter support for drought-affected families and urban informal settlements.
Uganda: Shelter support for refugee families and host communities in refugee-hosting districts.
Ghana:Partnerships with local organisations to improve housing safety and dignity for vulnerable children and families.
United Kingdom: Advocacy, awareness and partnership work supporting children in temporary accommodation and housing insecurity.
But the need is far greater than our resources. Every month, our teams turn away families we cannot help. Every month, children sleep outside because there is not enough shelter to go around.
What we are calling for?
MACWO is calling on donors, partners and the international community to help us expand shelter for poor children across all five countries:
Transitional shelter kits for families in displacement sites
Child-friendly shelters with space for play and learning
Rehabilitation of damaged homes for families returning to their villages
Winter and rainy-season shelter support for children most at risk
Long-term housing solutions for orphans, unaccompanied children and child-headed households
Cross-border learning between our country programmes, so best practice from one context strengthens the others
How you can help?
For the cost of a family meal, you can help provide a shelter kit that keeps a child dry, warm and safe. For the cost of a monthly coffee, you can help us build a child-friendly space where children can play and learn.
Every donation no matter the size — brings a poor child one step closer to a safe place to sleep.
Donate today and help us give the poorest children across Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and the UK the shelter they deserve. Because no child should have to face the night alone.
MACWO is a humanitarian organisation working across Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and the United Kingdom. Over 85% of institutional funds directly support field operations.
