Donate Crypto to Children and Youth Causes

What a child needs most changes as they grow. In the first years it is food, care and a stable family; in school years, staying in a classroom rather than a workplace; in adolescence, safety from violence and recruitment, and support for mental health; and at 18, a way into work or study. The causes we list cover each stage.

Birth to five: food, care and a family

The first five years shape the rest of a life. A 2016 analysis in The Lancet Global Health estimated that about 250 million children under five in low- and middle-income countries, 43% of that age group, were at risk of not reaching their developmental potential because of stunting or extreme poverty (2010 data, the latest global estimate). Malnutrition is the most urgent part: in South Sudan alone, about 2.2 million children were expected to be acutely malnourished in 2026, around 700,000 of them severely (FAO, UNICEF and WFP, IPC projection).

Causes we list fund therapeutic feeding for young children in South Sudan through the Malnourished Children’s Fund, and supplementary feeding in Yemen where conflict has disrupted food supplies.

School age: in a classroom, not a workplace

Nearly 138 million children, about 8% of all children, were in child labour in 2024; 54 million were in hazardous work, and 61% worked in agriculture (ILO and UNICEF, 2025). What usually gets a child out of work is replacing the income the family loses: studies of cash support for poor families generally find less child labour and more time in school.

Causes we list fund schooling, shelter and skills training for children leaving garment, brick-kiln and other hazardous work in Bangladesh through the Child Labor Recovery Fund, shelter and family reunification for children living on the streets of Indian cities, after-school agricultural training that keeps rural young people in Malawi in education, and one-to-one mentoring by university students for children in lower-income neighbourhoods in France.

Adolescence: violence, recruitment and mental health

About one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds worldwide has a mental disorder (WHO, 2025). Where there is war, the risks are far greater: the UN verified 38,558 grave violations against children in armed conflict in 2025, affecting a record 24,174 children, including 6,607 children recruited and used by armed forces and groups (UN Secretary-General’s annual report, 2026).

Causes we list fund family tracing and reintegration for children separated from their families or released from armed groups in the Central African Republic, psychosocial support for children in Gaza through the Gaza Children’s Trauma Fund, counselling, schooling support and vocational training that offer young people in Honduras an alternative to gangs, and early mental health support for young people in Finland.

18 to 25: the step into adult life

In 2023, 28.1% of young women and 13.1% of young men worldwide were not in employment, education or training (ILO, 2024). Young people leaving foster care often face that step with no family to fall back on.

• Into work: coaching, traineeships and job placement for young jobseekers in the UK, Spain, Tunisia and Finland, and free coding and online-safety courses for young teenagers in Portugal.
• Leaving care: peer support and practical guidance for young people ageing out of foster care at 18 in the United States.
• Without a home: supported accommodation and key-worker help for homeless 16- to 25-year-olds in the UK, including care leavers and young people who arrived alone.

Why families, not orphanages

UNICEF has estimated that at least 2.7 million children live in residential care; a 2020 study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health put the figure closer to 5.4 million. Many are not orphans. Studies in many countries find that most children in orphanages have at least one living parent; estimates are often around 80%, though they vary widely by country. A national study in Cambodia, for example, found that nearly 80% of children in residential care had at least one living parent. Families often place children in institutions because of poverty or to reach a school.

The Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the first randomized trial comparing foster care with institutional care, found lasting benefits for children placed with families, especially when placed young. The UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children say families should be supported to care for their own children, and residential care used only when it is specifically appropriate, necessary and in the individual child’s best interests. The causes we list follow that approach: foster family training and support in Moldova and the UK, and small family-type homes in Moldova, for children who can’t yet live with a family, through the Orphan Care Alliance.

Sponsoring a child or funding a programme?

Child sponsorship can work well. A study of more than 10,000 people in six countries, published in the Journal of Political Economy in 2013, found that children sponsored through Compassion International were considerably more likely to finish secondary school and university than similar children who were not. Those results apply to that programme’s model, not to sponsorship in general.

The causes we list fund programmes that support many children, such as foster care, schooling, nutrition and reintegration, rather than individual sponsorships. That avoids singling out one child in a family or village, and keeps children’s photos and personal details private.

Safeguarding: what every children’s charity should have

The International Child Safeguarding Standards, developed by the Keeping Children Safe coalition of relief and development charities and first published in 2006, set out four areas every organization working with children should cover:

1. Policy: a written, publicised commitment to keeping children safe, approved by senior leaders.
2. People: safe recruitment, a code of conduct, and named people responsible for safeguarding.
3. Procedures: risk assessments and a clear way to report and respond to concerns, in line with local law.
4. Accountability: monitoring, learning from cases, and regular external review.

Good organizations also track what happens next: whether reunited children stay home, whether young people stay in school or in work, not just how many they reached.

Every Children & Youth cause we list

Each cause names the organization working with the children and when our team last verified it. Open one to see how the partner works and what your gift funds.

Common questions

Can I sponsor a specific child?

No. Our causes fund programmes that support many children, such as foster care training, schooling support or nutrition, rather than individual sponsorships. That also protects children’s privacy.

Why fund foster care rather than orphanages?

International guidelines and research both favour family-based care. Many children in institutions have living parents, and growing up in a family generally leads to better outcomes.

Do these causes include young adults?

Yes. Several fund training, traineeships and coaching for young people who are not in work, education or training, and support for care leavers.