It is quite common when thinking about the countries in Asia to immediately think about the ones that are often in the news, such as China, India and Japan. Thus, some other countries and the challenges that they face are often overlooked, especially by people living on the other side of the world. The nation of Bhutan is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Bhutan is an incredibly small nation with a population of only 770,400 people. 

Part of the reason it is not a very well-known nation is because for much of its history, until the 1970s, outsiders were not allowed into the nation. The next few decades were a struggle for the nation due to unrest and corruption within the government. The nation is behind the curve in many areas, and as a result, citizens have faced severe challenges with unemployment and poverty. 

Child Poverty Statistics in Bhutan 

As is the case in many nations that face economic struggles, child poverty in Bhutan is a serious area of concern. The Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network released a report in 2022 that included some alarming statistics about the current situation in regard to poverty throughout the nation. The data in the report outlined that one of every five children lives in poverty in Bhutan and that number increases to one of every four if the child is between the ages 10 and 17. A large part of this issue is that the poverty rate in rural areas is much higher than in cities in Bhutan. More than half of the population of the nation lives in rural areas and have a difficult time accessing basic health and education services. 

How NGOs Are Tackling Child Poverty 

While these numbers are concerning, there is good news coming out of Bhutan. Nonprofit organizations are working to address child poverty in Bhutan. One of these organizations is called Save the Children. This group has been working in Bhutan for several decades and has made a massive impact in the region. As a result of their work, 141,000 people have been lifted from child poverty in Bhutan. They are working extremely hard to increase access to basic services and address the issues of health and education. 

Save the Children has realized that one of the largest obstacles keeping young people from getting out of poverty in Bhutan is a lack of access to education. It is common for people in Bhutan, especially women and girls, not to know how to read or write. The team at Save the Children has done an incredible service to the nation by establishing preschools and other programs that allow young children to learn to read and write at a young age. This is crucial to their development and has been shown to increase their likelihood of moving out of poverty later in life. As the nation continues to develop and organizations such as Save the Children continue to do incredible work, child poverty in Bhutan will continue to be less and less of an issue. 

– Dylan Lyons
Photo: Flickr