Sarah Rafferty On a Future Beyond Conflict | War Child (2024)

Sarah Rafferty and Dr. Samantha Nutt © Alex Budman

By Raye Mocioiu

Dr. Samantha Nutt, Founder and President of War Child USA and War Child Canada, knows that the impact of war is felt long after the crisis ends. From the devastating destruction of communities to stripping their families of vital means of support, to taking away their access to education and legal protection, war changes everyone and everything it touches.

An award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, and medical doctor, Dr. Nutt has worked on the frontlines of many of the world’s major crises—from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. Her experiences in dozens of conflict zones around the globe gave her firsthand insight into how war impacts not only communities but also children and their families.

Since 1999, War Child has worked on the frontlines of the world’s major crises, from Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond. Along the way, the organization has amassed support from celebrity changemakers, musicians, and actors like Sarah Rafferty.

Beloved for her acting roles in hit TV shows like Suits, Chicago Med, Grey’s Anatomy, and Netflix’s My Life With the Walter Boys, Rafferty has long been an example of what it looks like to use your platform for positive change.

Devoted to building awareness of the gender-based barriers that affect girls and women worldwide, Rafferty is an Ambassador for Plan Canada’s “Because I am a Girl” campaign and Seth and Lauren Miller-Rogen’s Hilarity For Charity, which works to raise brain health awareness among the younger generation and advocate on behalf of caregivers. In 2019, Rafferty joined forces with War Child.

“I was introduced to War Child through my good friends Thomas Sadoski and Amanda Seyfried, who are both War Child Ambassadors,” Rafferty explained. “They asked me to join a host committee for a fundraiser they were helping to organize—a comedy night in Los Angeles with Sarah Silverman and friends. I was moved by what I learned about War Child and their work from founder Dr. Samantha Nutt and the War Child team that evening. Since then, I’ve learned so much about the state of the world and those in far-off places who are often forgotten once the headlines disappear.”

Life in A War Zone

“These are exceedingly difficult times,” explained Dr. Nutt. “One-fifth of all children in the world, 426 million, live in conflict zones. More than 115 million people have been forced from their homes—80 percent of them are women and children. They struggle not only to survive but also to access the very services needed to help them rebuild their lives and communities over the long term: education, employment, food security, and psychological support, as well as ongoing protection from violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse.”

For children living in conflict zones, every day is a struggle. The things that many of us take for granted can be life-threatening for them. Conflict throws everyday life into chaos, and the uncertainty of what’s to come is a constant stressor.

The staggering number of children living in active war zones tells us that hundreds of millions of mothers around the world are also striving daily to protect their children from the devastation of war.

“Imagine what it must be like to try to look after a family while living in a war zone,” said Rafferty. “To bring your children up without access to food, education, protection, safety. To live in a hostile and dangerous environment and feel like you are entirely on your own.”

War Child uses a bold, community-driven approach to deliver programs that give children the best chance to overcome the challenges of war and grow up to see a brighter future.

“When you empower children and women and provide them with the tools they need to survive and thrive, you provide hope and a way forward to a brighter future,” said Rafferty. “War Child has done this in so many regions of the world, and their programs have changed the lives of so many. I’ve learned about children who missed years of schooling because of war, lost hope, and are now graduating from War Child’s catch-up learning programs and aspiring to be their country’s next leaders, doctors, and entrepreneurs. I’ve learned about women in Afghanistan participating in War Child’s ‘livelihoods and skills training programs’ who continue to earn a living and provide for their families despite enormous odds.”

War Child’s Mother’s Week Campaign, which ran from May 6th through May 12th, spotlighted these women.

“Mothers everywhere want to do everything they can to create opportunities for their children,” Rafferty explained of the campaign. “During war, women are often widowed and become the sole providers for their families. They are highly vulnerable and need programs that provide education, skills, and small business training. A mother’s access to basic education improves the chances of her child living past their fifth birthday by 50 percent. These programs can ensure that vulnerable women can access income and economic opportunities crucial to their family’s survival.”

War Child supports 1.2 million women, children, and families annually. They provide numeracy and literacy classes to vulnerable women and catch-up education to children who have missed out on years of schooling. They work with women and youth, offering skills training and small business loans so that they become less aid-dependent and lift their families out of poverty. They also protect women’s and children’s rights through access to justice programs. War Child also enhances public education and awareness through music and other arts-based initiatives.

“There are only so many wars to fight, whereas the possibilities for investing in reconstruction, reconciliation, democratic development, health care, and social welfare for at-risk populations are nearly infinite,” shared Dr. Nutt.

Investing in a Future Free of War

Humanitarian organizations often focus on the short-term needs of communities in crisis. While these measures can be incredibly helpful, they leave a gap in long-term support for addressing the conditions that contribute to violence and instability.

The difficulty, Dr. Nutt explained, is due in part to the fact that aid organizations are largely staffed and managed by foreigners, not locals. This can lead to a disconnect between the organization’s employees and those who need their support.

War Child exists to bridge the gap between short-term emergency relief (primarily food, health care, water, and shelter) and long-term development programming that can help break the cycle of poverty, violence, and despair that so many are facing in war-torn communities. Even when the headlines disappear, War Child remains on the ground, knowing that the work is not over yet.

“Sustainable change is only possible when you invest in building capacity for local people and communities,” said Rafferty. Rather than building parallel infrastructures, helicoptering in outside expertise, and leaving nothing in your wake once attention has moved elsewhere, War Child works with local community partners who understand the challenges and needs and hires all local staff to lead and run their programs.”

Local leaders and communities have the most in-depth understanding of their needs and the specific challenges they face, making them the best choice to create sustainable change with support from War Child. This holistic system allows them to build systems of change and empowerment not just for these communities but within them.

“Education, hard skills, the capacity to keep earning—none of those things, once acquired, can be lost to war. Those are forever,” added Dr. Nutt. “War Child’s model of humanitarian action is rooted in collaboration and embraces the complexity of generational change.”

The hope is that one day, War Child will no longer be needed, and communities will be able to continue this critical work independently. For now, however, War Child’s work is far from over.

“Over the last two years, War Child has witnessed an escalation in armed violence across a number of our areas of operation, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Dr. Nutt. “The demand for our services and expertise continues to grow at an alarming pace, and War Child is limited by our financial resources. Foreign aid and individual philanthropy are not merely acts of charity; they are indispensable investments in a secure future for us all. Humanitarian aid is an imperfect response to a violently imperfect world. It should not be needed, but it is. We could not do this work without the incredible support of our donors.”

War Child’s work empowers over 1.2 million people annually in some of the most complex humanitarian environments. From local leaders working to build a better future to women rising from poverty to care for their families, War Child shows us that no matter the odds, humanity has the resilience to fight for a stronger, safer world.

“I firmly believe in War Child’s thoughtful, grassroots, locally driven, long-lasting approach,” said Rafferty. “Their programs empower children, families, and local communities to break cycles of poverty and violence through access to education, economic opportunities, and justice.”

There are so many ways to support War Child and invest in a better future for children and families everywhere.

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