As we all enjoy the run of extended weekends drenched in sunshine, I ask you to spare a moment’s thought for the thousands of children and families living in displacement camps in Ivory Coast.

Violence in the West African country has driven over 500,000 children from their homes. They have been fleeing on foot, often without food, shelter or their families. Children are deeply distressed by the events taking place around them and for those in the camps, the situation is appalling. There is not enough food or clean water and medical supplies are running dangerously low as a result of looting.

Save the Children staff are already working round the clock to identify children’s needs and we are distributing essential household items, health kits, mosquito nets, buckets and play kits for families in the country. We just flew in a plane with several tonnes of health kits, including safe delivery kits for pregnant women, which help reduce the chance of infection after birth.

But there’s so much more we need to be doing, and that’s why we need your help. We have launched an appeal for £25 million and urgently need this money to scale up our work training midwives and providing care and support to survivors of sexual violence. This money will also help increase the number of health and education projects, emotional and psychological support and help keep children together with their families and in a safe environment.

Just £18 will provide cholera kits for 100 people for six weeks; £8 will buy a school kit to help an 11-year-old maintain their education. So please, as you enjoy the bank holidays, take the time to give as much or as little as you can. Whatever you give will be a huge help to those vulnerable children who so desperately need it.

GARETH OWEN Humanitarian Director, Save the Children