The Republic of Singapore, a tropical island and city in Southeast Asia centered around the Malay peninsula, suffers from high rates of child poverty. Here are some facts about child poverty in Singapore and what some are doing to address it.

The Cycle of Poverty

Education is a key factor in overcoming child poverty. Children from low-income families are more likely to struggle to match their peers. In Singapore, 3% of school-age children are not proficient in reading.

Children who struggle to stay in school due to unmet financial needs have a higher risk of remaining in poverty, continuing a cycle when they have children of their own. Children who struggle with poverty are at risk of failing to achieve the core competencies necessary for growth and development. To combat this, Singapore offers financial assistance to families whose children are at risk of leaving school in order to help financially contribute to the household.

Attending libraries assists families that cannot afford to buy toys or books that are necessary to reach developmental milestones. Libraries can provide access to all educational tools. The benefits of children doing extra reading outside of school hours have been found to increase their inspiration and vocabulary skills. In Singapore, families with an annual income of around $60,000 per year struggle with obtaining educational materials for childhood learning and development.

Government initiatives toward encouraging access to education are important to end the cycle of child poverty in Singapore. Having parents who finish secondary education has been shown to increase a child’s vocabulary skills significantly—children of educated parents have an average range of 600 vocabulary words by age 3, compared to 250 words for children of uneducated parents.

Children’s Rights in Singapore

The Children’s Ordinance originated in 1927 to ensure that all children were safe from any type of poverty. In 1946, the Social Welfare Department began to raise awareness of social issues, including child poverty. The Social Welfare Department assists individuals and families struggling with finding health care, employment and affordable food. 

In 1950, efforts to protect children from neglect and abuse through community activities and youth sports leagues became the Children and Young Persons Act, giving children increased legal protection. In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child combined children’s legal access to health care, education and social services.

Education Resources

Originating in 2000, the I Can Read campaign supports literacy from home. Children enhance their language skills through an online platform that is geared to provide a school-like setting.

The nonprofit organization Kidstart supports families during the early stages of childhood development, serving children under 6 years old. Its aim is to build stronger relationships between children and parents and empower children to discover more about their communities.

My Home School supports international schooling, with a curriculum based on the Charlotte Mason method, providing in-home education to children from Kindergarten to Secondary 4.

Overcoming the Cycle of Poverty

Education is an important factor in overcoming poverty. A great resource to help fight poverty is FreeRice. It donates grains of rice to the World Food Programme for every question that participants answer correctly.

– Paige Couture
Photo: Flickr