Capitol Hill Briefing Highlights Bipartisan Support for Children Globally
By Moira McLaughlin
March 27, 2026
The Child Partnership, a group of individuals and non-governmental organizations, including Futures Without Violence, hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill last week on “The State of the World’s Children.” The purpose of the bipartisan convening was not only to call attention to the needs of children globally, but also to highlight effective programs on the ground that help keep children safe.
“At Futures Without Violence, we know violence is not inevitable. It is preventable. And prevention is not only compassionate, but also strategic,” Esta Soler, Founder and President of FUTURES said on one of the panels.
Healthy Kids, Global Stability
Soler called for strong FY27 investments that protect and support the world’s children and youth.
Programs that support the health and well-being of children across the world drive global stability and U.S. security. Yet it’s estimated that only .09 percent of the U.S. federal budget goes to children internationally.
Soler told the Members of Congress, staff, White House administration, and foundation leaders gathered to help send the message to U.S leaders that children and youth should be at the center of foreign assistance. She said that FUTURES is asking Congress to:
- Maintain strong FY27 investments that protect and support the world’s children and youth.
- Fund an Office of Children and Families at the State Department to provide leadership, coordination, and accountability for child protection and support across U.S. foreign assistance.
Leila Milani, FUTURES Program Director, introduced U.S. Special Envoy of Best Future Generations, Charles Harder, who gave the keynote remarks. She thanked him for his leadership, which “reminds us what is possible when we act together. At a time of immense challenges, your call for collective action underscores a shared truth: protecting children is not only a moral imperative but a strategic one.”
Harder painted his vision of what keeping children safe and thriving could look like: By creating “super schools,” he said, where children could have access to things like healthcare and food, and where families and children could go to have their basic needs met. The schools could be a “hub” of services, and his office is working with ambassadors from around the world to transform schools into “super schools.”
Funding Programs & Solutions
Soler spoke of FUTURES’ evidence-based program, Coaching Boys Into Men, which trains coaches across East Africa to teach their athletes about healthy relationships.
Along with Soler, the first panelist included Edgar Sandoval Sr., CEO of World Vision-US; Jesse Pleger, Regional Vice President for Strategy and Operations in Asia Pacific International Justice Mission; Erin Kennedy, VP of External Engagement and Partnerships for ChildFund International; and Giulia McPherson, Executive Director of the Global Campaign for Education-US with Messellech Abebe, COO of First Focus on Children moderating.
Each panelist spoke about what they are seeing on the ground now and what children are experiencing. From food insecurity to trafficking to online sexual abuse, children need investment to counter both old and new forms of violence and harm.
Soler spoke about FUTURES’ evidence-based violence prevention program called Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM), which trains coaches across East Africa, in Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Botswana, and Tanzania to teach their athletes about respect, responsibility, and healthy relationships. Launched 20 years ago, the program has reached nearly 800,000 boys, and in Botswana and Tanzania, CBIM is embedded in the national school system.
“That’s how prevention becomes infrastructure. It’s how we end violence,” Soler said.
The second group of panelists included Kathy Sacco, VP of International Programs for First Focus on Children; Rebecca Levy, Associate Director of Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s issues, and Jesse Eaves, Senior Director of Humanity United. They contemplated what could be next: A new system designed to think of kids first? Unlocking funds to support programs for kids? Ensuring experts on global issues for kids have a real voice?
Continue the Conversation
Milani looked at everyone gathered at the briefing and said, “This is the village,” which will help protect and nurture kids globally.
The Child Partnership advocates for a whole child approach as well as a child-centered one. Scattered throughout the two-hour briefing, children spoke about why it’s so important to invest in children. “You remind us not only of why this work matters, but who it is for. You ground this conversation in lived experience, urgency, and hope,” Milani told the four youth.
During a Q and A, Soler reiterated the importance of convenings where experts and leaders can come together to talk about solutions to ensuring children grow up safe and supported. “We have to have these public conversations,” Soler said. “We have to keep the pressure on our government and private institutions to do the right thing. It costs money, but it’s for our kids.”
