“Moving Minds Alliance”: A New Study Addressing the Funding Gap for Young Children in Crisis 
5 October 2025
The Moving Minds Alliance has published a new study highlighting the ongoing lack of funding for early childhood development in emergencies (ECDiE). The findings come as global aid budgets tighten and a growing number of young children are raised in crisis conditions.
The earliest years of life are the most critical for children’s growth and development. From conception to age five, children experience rapid brain development that shapes their lifelong health, learning, and well-being. Beyond survival, they need nurturing care, safety, proper nutrition, responsive caregiving, and opportunities for early learning — as outlined in the Nurturing Care Framework launched by WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
Yet despite the urgency of this need, the study finds that funding for ECDiE is still being overlooked, with most humanitarian aid directed toward short-term relief rather than long-term recovery and development. As a result, the developmental needs of young children — particularly those affected by displacement, conflict, and climate change — are still not being adequately addressed.
The research examines international funding flows to ECDiE, identifies ongoing gaps, and provides evidence to help advocates and policymakers push for stronger and more consistent investments in the youngest children living through crisis. The full study is available here.
You may access the full study here.
In a related context, ANECD published in August 2025 a Call to Action on the reduction of aid in the early childhood development sector, addressing the fundamental shifts in the humanitarian aid system and their impact on early childhood development.
