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  • 267815
    Disadvantaged children engaged
  • £ 8.88 M
    Raised to fund projects
  • 188
    Projects delivered
Data from July 2022 to June 2023

Our Vision

We believe that every child should have a healthy, happy and safe childhood so that all children are well prepared for life, breaking the cycle of poverty.

 

The cost-of-living crisis is having a devastating impact on children living in poverty.

We are facing a growing crisis. 700,000 (33%) of children are living in poverty in London. Our most recent research found that the equivalent of 40% of London children are regularly missing meals and going hungry due to the cost-of-living crisis. 

Startling statistics are emerging that illustrate the extent of the crisis for children. In June this year, 78% of school and public health nurses reported that children’s teeth were decaying or being damaged at a higher rate than usual due to child hunger and poor nutrition. Research released in September found that 72% of school staff saw an increase in hygiene poverty in their school during the 2022-2023 academic year, with the number expected to rise. 

Our most vulnerable children are now facing life-changing, life-limiting deep poverty rather than significant hardship. 

Please donate to our Christmas Challenge Campaign running from 28 November - 5 December 2023 to provide a London child experiencing poverty with much needed practical and emotional support, fun and friendship this winter and beyond. We will double your donation during Campaign week! 

Thank you! 

Our Champions for Children Campaign 2023 raised over £3.5M

We were delighted with the success of our Champions for Children 2023 summer campaign which raised a huge £3,503,225. The funding will support the delivery of 83 projects over a twelve-month period, impacting 68,000 of the capital’s most disadvantaged children. Some funding has already been used to provide children with safe places to spend the long summer holidays, where not only were they able to engage in a range of fun and inspiring activities but were often provided with nutritious meals. With the cost-of-living crisis forcing many more families into poverty, our support continues to be desperately needed. We will be launching our Christmas Challenge Campaign in December and are extremely grateful for your continued generosity 

Young filmmakers highlight food poverty and London's housing crisis

As part of our mission to promote the voices of children and young people, we worked in partnership with the Octavia Foundation and a group of young people to produce two films. These films highlight some of the many challenges facing children and young people in London such as inadequate housing and food insecurity. The young people wrote, produced, shot, and edited these films with no prior experience. Both films were premiered at our London Child Poverty Summit.

Can't Let Them In

18-year-old Ahmed lives with his parents and younger sister in a cramped one-bedroom flat. When an escalating leak seeps into the lower floor, it draws the attention of their furious neighbours as well as the imposing council. Riddled with shame in his circumstance, Ahmed refuses to answer or let them in... But with his innocent and curious sister in the flat with him, the knocking at the door becomes harder to ignore.

In The Music

14-year-old Desha is a timid young girl, obsessed with escaping reality in the world of her mixtapes - and it is with the help of her mixtapes that after getting herself in detention, she puts into action her plan to dress in a convert disguise and steal a keyboard from her school... But why is this shy young girl having to steal a keyboard?

Recent News

Summer Impact Report 2023

At the beginning of October, we published our Summer Impact Report 2023. Researched, compiled and...

Our 2022-2023 Annual Impact Report

The Childhood Trust Annual Impact Report, 2022 - 2023 In the last 12 months our campaigns have...

Thanks to the Westminster Foundation

The Westminster Foundation teams up with The Childhood Trust to help London children through the...

Every child should have a healthy, happy and safe childhood so that all children are well prepared for life, breaking the cycle of poverty.