In the UK today, 4.5 million children are growing up in poverty. That’s one in every three children, and 100,000 more than the year before.
At Embrace, we support the most vulnerable of those children:
🧕🏽 Children of single mothers and widows
👶🏽 Children of survivors of abuse
🚔 Children from families affected by imprisonment
🛑 And destitute refugee children – many of whom have fled war, poverty, and persecution in Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and other conflict zones
These children have already seen more than many adults will in a lifetime.
And when they arrive in the UK, they face a new kind of struggle: poverty, isolation, and often, invisible wounds.
🧠 How Poverty Affects Children’s Mental Health
Children in poverty are more likely to experience:
- Anxiety, fear, and insecurity
- Shame and isolation from not “fitting in”
- Exclusion from activities like school trips, and sports
- Exhaustion and poor sleep due to stress or unsafe living conditions
- Low self-worth, especially when comparing their lives to others
Right now, 1.6 million children in the UK live in households that can’t afford essentials like healthy food, warm clothing, or heating. Many live in crowded hostels or shared asylum accommodation with no privacy, no stability, and little hope.
“Unfortunately, I cannot continue like this. My young son recently fell from the rooftop and hit his head. I am deeply worried. I urgently need a home where I can take proper care of my family. My family and I were homeless and sleeping on the streets. A friend originally offered to host us only for a few days, and now he wants us to leave. We are very tired, physically and emotionally. I am truly afraid for my son’s wellbeing – I don’t want him to end up on the streets.”
💔 Children Carrying War, Then Poverty
So many of the children we support are not just poor. They are traumatised.
They have:
- Escaped bombs in Gaza, barrel bombs in Syria, or civil war and famine in Yemen and Sudan
- Crossed continents in search of safety
- Been denied the right to live a normal life upon arrival – barred from working, living on £8.86 a week, and stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
The trauma of war doesn’t vanish at the border. It lives on in their nightmares, their behaviour, and their struggle to feel safe – especially when faced with new forms of poverty and hostility here in the UK.
🚔 Children of Prisoners: Another Silent Trauma
At Embrace, we also support children whose parents have been imprisoned – many taken during frightening, violent raids in the early hours of the morning.
These children often experience:
- Flashbacks and PTSD from dawn raids
- Grief and confusion about why a parent is missing from the home
- Stigma and bullying at school
- Traumatic experiences when visiting a parent in prison
- A sudden loss of financial and emotional security
This is a form of trauma rarely spoken about – but it shapes everything from a child’s mental health to their future opportunities.
🧕🏽 When Parents Are Struggling, Children Feel It Too
For families in crisis – whether due to poverty, abuse, imprisonment, or refugee status – every day can feel like survival.
Children absorb this stress. Some act out. Others withdraw. And many feel a quiet, creeping sadness that no one seems to notice.
When a parent is overwhelmed, it’s hard to be emotionally present for their child. Many children step into caregiver roles long before their time, losing their own sense of childhood.
🎒 That’s Why We Launched the Back to School Campaign
A warm uniform, new shoes, a bag that doesn’t fall apart – these things shouldn’t be a luxury. But for many of the children we serve, they are.
Our Back to School campaign provides:
🧥 School uniforms and shoes
🎒 Bags and stationery
These small things make a huge difference to a child’s dignity, confidence, and self-worth.
📚 £380 can provide a full school uniform
🎒 £50 helps with supplies and essentials
We need another £20,000 in the next week to start distributing grants to over 200 children in need.
👉 Donate to the Back to School campaign
📿 Our Islamic Duty to Care for Children
Islam teaches us that children are an amanah, a sacred trust, from Allah. Their care is not optional – it is a command. We will be asked about how we have fulfilled our trust towards them.
“He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young…” (Bukhari)
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive…” (Qur’an, 76:8)
The orphans, the vulnerable, the children of the imprisoned and the war-torn – these are the ones we are most accountable for.
🤲🏽 Help Us Restore Hope
At Embrace, we walk with children and families through their darkest times. But we cannot do it alone.
💚 Donate to our Back to School campaign and give a child dignity
🕌 Share this message with your contacts, local mosque or WhatsApp groups
✉️ Advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves
Together, we can help a child feel safe, seen, and supported – whether they’ve fled war, faced prison raids, or simply been forgotten by the system.