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5 Facts About Child Poverty in Kosovo

Child Poverty in KosovoKosovo, a small country in southeastern Europe, declared itself independent on February 17, 2008, after experiencing ethnic violence and forced displacement in the late 1990s. The United States (U.S.) officially recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state on February 18. This marked a significant development in Kosovo’s history after a challenging period. However, only around 100 United Nations (U.N.) member states recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state.

Kosovo remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, with an estimated 23% of the population living in poverty. The country struggles with widespread corruption and a low employment rate, with the unemployment rate in Kosovo predicted to reach 22% by the end of 2023.

Poverty in Kosovo has a big impact on children, mainly because many Kosovans had to leave their homes during the Kosovo War and couldn’t go back. The education system is also not doing well. Just 41% of kids in Kosovo have good reading skills, and only 42% are strong in math. For children from minority groups like Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, the numbers are even lower—18% in reading and 13% in math. This makes it harder for them to succeed in the future.

The nation’s struggle to join the European Union (EU), mainly because of the Serbian deadlock, significantly contributes to its ongoing issue of high child poverty rates. This situation has lasting effects on the well-being of children in the country.

5 Important Facts About the Issue of Child Poverty in Kosovo

  1. Poverty disproportionately affects children in Kosovo: Not only does poverty disproportionately affect Kosovan children, but particularly children from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, or those who have disabilities or live in rural areas. Moreover, children in Kosovo account for half of those benefitting from social assistance.
  2. Only a fraction of Kosovo’s GDP goes toward social protection:  The country spends 8.5% of its GDP on social protection, compared to an average of 28% in the wider EU. Therefore, access to health care, education and other social services remains limited for its children, exacerbating the issue of child poverty in Kosovo.
  3. Child begging: Child begging is a significant concern in Kosovo, notably affecting Romany children and serving as a major sign of child poverty. In the initial half of 2023, authorities intervened and recorded 41 cases of child begging, potentially setting a new yearly record. The prevalence of this issue highlights ongoing challenges related to child poverty in Kosovo.
  4. High child mortality rate: Child mortality rates are a concern, especially in certain communities where the numbers are higher. For example, in Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, the child mortality rate is eight times higher than the EU average. There are also differences in health services, with only 38% of children under 2 fully immunized in these communities, compared to 73% in the general population (UNICEF 2021).
  5. Active Charities: Several charities work tirelessly to alleviate child poverty in Kosovo. Actions for Mother and Children (AMC) stands out as a crucial player, dedicated to supporting Kosovo’s mothers and children facing poverty since 2009. AMC takes a dual approach: advocating for improved health care for mothers and children and raising funds to provide essential life-saving equipment and medications. Notably, its Women’s Health Resource Center program, launched in 2014, has been instrumental. This initiative educates and supports women throughout pregnancy, delivery and the early postpartum period, impacting at least 10,000 pregnant women and their partners since January 2014.

Looking to the Future

As Kosovo looks to the EU for guidance on its future, charities like AMC are tackling child poverty. This work is vital as the country navigates its path, waiting to see what its European future holds.

– Eleanor Lomas
Photo: Flickr

3 Organizations Tackling Poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Poverty in Bosnia and HerzegovinaAccording to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), over half of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population lives in pastoral, rural areas of the former Yugoslav state. Despite being far away from urbanized areas, such as Sarajevo, inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s countryside are not without access to services in their local area, with most being close to a doctors’ practice, primary school, grocery store and post office. However, rural income is low, unemployment is rife, and the overall rural poverty rate is far higher than that of city dwellers. A lack of governmental attention on the systemic issues of poverty has caused three aid organizations to take matters into their own hands and support the parents and children who are most affected by poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Idyllic Surroundings, Idle Realities 

As it continues to patiently await its membership to the European Union (EU), Bosnia and Herzegovina, without the additional perks of affinity, is equally experiencing the continental rising prices of food and other household essentials, alongside the soaring fuel and electricity prices that come with having the EU as its largest trading partner.

With only 53% of rural households earning an income from employment and 50% receiving social benefits from the state, the already fragile conditions of those on or below the poverty line, most prominently in towns and villages, have worsened, leaving mothers and children, in particular, to succumb to the harsh effects of poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A survey in 2013 found that the disadvantages of rural life are felt most in education and employment, with small towns and villages being most at risk of social and political exclusion by way of the absence of economic opportunities and effective welfare programs.

Obraduj Nekgoga

In 2017, the Obraduj Nekoga Foundation was created in Sarajevo to provide support across Bosnia and Herzegovina for struggling families, focusing on delivering supplies and food for the children of the families most impacted by rural poverty. From Trebević to Vlasić, many organization members venture over mountains and travel for long hours daily to provide aid and advice to families in the countryside.

Since there are very few jobs in both the private and public sectors, many parents can only find work in summer, either picking raspberries or strawberries in the fields. Only able to work for one season out of the year, families must use their savings sparingly, and children are often left short of their necessities, such as nappies and formula, as well as toys and games.

With the help of donations and volunteers, Obraduj Nekoga has helped to feed hungry families in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s towns and villages, promoted the healthy growth and steady development of children and mitigated the effects of rural poverty.

Charity Bosnian Kids

Similarly, Charity Bosnian Kids was set up in 2018 to target the food insecurity experienced by many families across Bosnia and Herzegovina, an issue highlighted by the fact that most children “consume at least half of their meals at school” and those meals “may be the only food they regularly eat.” Many of these families are located in towns and villages where access to employment and regular income is virtually impossible, so schools become the only way children can maintain a regular, healthy diet.

In the school year 2022/2023, Charity Bosnian Kids provided 445 children a daily school lunch and a total of €51,873 was donated across 2021/2022. The organization also combats poverty through its Food at Home for Bosnian Families program, where donations are used to create and send food packages to families so that they have access to necessities.

SOS Children’s Villages 

SOS Children’s Villages ensures orphaned or abandoned children are cared for. The organization primarily adopts a preventative approach by giving Bosnian families access to counseling to encourage them to stay together if it is safe to do so, thereby reducing the number of children who are abandoned by their families due to economic or social pressures that are synonymous with poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

As the level of school attendance is extremely low for rural children, many young people from Bosnia’s countryside end up lacking qualifications, which makes it more challenging to break the cycle of poverty. SOS Children’s Villages aims to intercept this cycle by strengthening families through legal and psychological support and creating sponsorships for children to complete their studies. The organization currently has 8962 beneficiaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all on the journey to a better and brighter future. 

Looking Ahead

Where state welfare programs are lacking, aid organizations work hard to alleviate poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Obraduj Nekoga, Charity Bosnian Kids and SOS Children’s Villages have all sought to ensure that children and families are receiving the necessities that they cannot afford, alleviating the food insecurity dimension of poverty to the best of their ability. While this does not tackle the systemic roots of poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina, these three organizations have improved the livelihoods of thousands of citizens in a short period, making a significant impact with small sums of donations, thus pointing to the level of change that can be achieved through the selflessness and determination of charities.

– Zara Brown
Photo: Unsplash

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Ending Child Poverty in China

Child Poverty in ChinaChina has remarkably reduced poverty over the past four decades. The percentage of rural residents living in poverty decreased from 96.2 to 0.6% between 1980 and 2019. That means that nearly 765 million people were living in poverty, compared to the present, 6 million people. Experts agree it is important to approach child poverty in China as a multidimensional problem. Many Children are born into poverty. Therefore, reducing the general scope of poverty is important in eliminating child poverty. China has dramatically reduced poverty, and even their global hunger index, based on two pillars: economic transformation to open new opportunities and raise average income, and recognition and targeted support to people living in persistent poverty.

Child Poverty in China

Despite recent efforts, roughly 4.2 million children live in extreme poverty. It’s important to note that more rural children are impoverished than urban children. The families of China living in rural areas or belonging to an ethnic minority are most impacted by poverty. 

Therefore, China has focused on reducing poverty in low-income rural households. There are significant differences that affect poverty in rural and urban areas. These differences include income disparities, limited access to education and health care services, poorer sanitation and overall poorer living conditions. However, according to UNICEF, the most severe forms of poverty that Chinese children experience are nutrition, access to clean water and sanitation and housing.

To focus on relieving poverty in the rural areas of China, the Anhui Yellow Mountain New Countryside Demonstration Project supported Huangshan’s rural development in several areas per the Chinese government’s initiative to “build new socialist countryside,” including investment in rural infrastructure and public services to reduce inequalities in the quality of life between rural and urban areas; improvement in the quality of tourism services to draw more tourists and create jobs and income-generating opportunities; the development of greener, higher value-added agricultural production bases and market facilities, as well as training for farmers to boost agricultural productivity.

Overall, the main objectives of the SDGs established by the UN are to eradicate child poverty and reduce the gap between urban and rural areas. To accomplish these goals, looking into the disparities between urban and rural areas and the causes of child poverty is crucial. Understanding the differences between child poverty in urban and rural areas enables us to understand better how factors related to demography, the economy, society and policy contribute to child poverty.

Current Picture

Alongside reducing rural child poverty, much has been done to end intergenerational poverty in China. According to social policy expert Peter Whiteford, child poverty is the main reason poverty is generational. China has made significant strides in reducing poverty over the past decade by promoting education, an essential feature in preventing poverty from being passed down to future generations. Since 2012, China’s government budgetary spending on education has maintained a proportion of over 4% of the nation’s GDP. It has shifted more in favor of rural areas and areas with significant populations of ethnic minorities.

At the end of 2020, China’s nine-year compulsory education stage saw only 682 drop out, down from over 600,000 dropouts in 2019. The nation has hired 950,000 teachers in total for compulsory education in rural areas, trained nearly 17 million teachers and principals for rural schools in the central and western regions under a national-level training program, provided subsidies for 1.27 million teachers from more than 80,000 schools in nearby poverty-stricken areas and sent 190,000 volunteer teachers to schools in outlying and poverty-stricken regions, border areas and areas with large ethnic populations.

It is important to look at child poverty as a multidimensional problem. Education can open the door to jobs, resources and skills to help a person survive. UNESCO estimates that 171 million people could escape extreme poverty if all students in low-income countries had only the most fundamental reading skills. The percentage of adults who did not complete their secondary education could reduce global poverty by more than half. Therefore, promoting education in China, especially in the rural areas, can be vital in reducing children’s poverty and helping break the cycle of generational poverty.

Conclusion

China’s significant reduction in overall poverty over the past four decades is commendable. However, child poverty remains a pressing issue, especially in rural areas.

China’s ongoing commitment to addressing child poverty and poverty in general through a holistic approach is an instructive example for other nations, highlighting the importance of education, health care, social support and economic opportunities. By prioritizing the well-being of its children, China is not only improving the lives of current generations but also paving the way for a more prosperous and equitable future.

– Paige Falk
Photo: Flickr

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Early Education and Its Role in Eradicating Poverty

Early EducationEarly education is often underestimated, despite being a fundamental cornerstone of learning and development. It offers children a crucial platform to nurture their skills and knowledge from an early age. These skills can prove invaluable throughout their lives, enabling them to access higher-paying job opportunities. Education holds the potential to positively impact lives from an early stage by equipping individuals with the essential tools for success.

A Foundation for a Brighter Future

The impact of education on a child is significant. Research indicates that certain skills can be better learned at the first critical period of brain development, from age 2 to 7. At this age, kids exhibit an accelerated rate of learning. It is crucial to stimulate their minds during this period to unlock each child’s maximal potential. It is evident that further and higher education depends on the right foundation for kids to succeed at higher levels.

Some of the benefits of education at a young age include: 

  • Healthy brain development.
  • Improved social skills.
  • Independence. 
  • Problem-solving skills. 
  • A smooth transition into higher levels of education. 

Equipped with the right tools early on, children are more likely to progress and reach higher intellectual capacities. The right environment and skillset provide a solid groundwork for success — both academically and, eventually, occupationally. In the long term, early education provides the future generation with the necessary skills to acquire both high-quality jobs and higher-paying jobs.

Finally, research shows that children who spend longer in early education have improved educational outcomes in the future. It also shows that high-quality studying particularly benefits children from low-income backgrounds. Investing in children’s education leads to cost savings, as the next generation develops stronger human capital, resulting in a larger pool of productive workers. This, in turn, contributes to overall economic growth.

An End To Generational Poverty

Experiencing poverty as a child means that you are much more likely to be poor in early adulthood. This is the unfortunate truth for many children growing up in developing countries; when families struggle financially, the children feel the effects of the financial burden. With limited financial resources, education is difficult to access. Without it, potential job prospects become hard to acquire, and the cycle of generational poverty continues. 

Without early education access, many kids in poverty fall behind their counterparts. This creates a disparity in children’s capabilities, making the job of the teacher difficult to attend to each child’s level and need. The unfair disadvantage some children face is what keeps the vicious cycle going.

To break the cycle of poverty, childhood education plays a crucial role, and improving accessibility is essential. This can be achieved through various school programs and increased investments in education. Quality early education provides children with a strong foundation for learning and better prepares them for higher education, which, in turn, opens doors to higher-paying job opportunities. This process fosters generational change, where individuals who were once affected by poverty gain financial stability, ensuring that the next generation has an improved chance of avoiding poverty and breaking the cycle.

What’s Next?

Access to quality education in the early years holds significant importance for several reasons. Education, knowledge and skills serve as powerful tools in the fight against poverty. Early introduction to education creates opportunities that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Research has consistently shown that high-quality educational programs have the most profound impact on children living in impoverished conditions. By investing in the intellectual growth of our youth, there is hope for a more equitable and promising future. 

– Lewis Butcher
Photo: Unsplash

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Facts About Child Poverty in Uzbekistan 

Child Poverty in UzbekistanUzbekistan has made remarkable strides in reducing poverty and improving child welfare. Despite these gains, child poverty in Uzbekistan remains a pressing issue, with many children living in disadvantaged conditions. 

Declining Child Mortality Rate 

Uzbekistan has significantly reduced the infant and under-5 mortality rates over the past four decades. According to World Bank data, the infant mortality rate fell drastically from 98 per 1,000 live births in 1980 to just 13 per 1,000 live births in 2021. Likewise, the under-5 mortality rate reached an all-time low of 14 per 1,000 live births in 2021. 

Child Poverty in Uzbekistan

Nonetheless, child poverty remains a pressing issue in Uzbekistan. UNICEF’s 2019 report, “Building a Better Future: A Child-sensitive Social Protection System for Uzbekistan,” stated that 30% of young children and 24% of children between five to 14 years old belong to the poorest quintile of Uzbekistan. While the general poverty in Uzbekistan is 21%, the child poverty rate stood higher at 24%. 

As of 2019, 57% of children in the country lived on less than 10,000 UZS per day, approximately 1.5 times the minimum wage. The minimum wage in Uzbekistan also serves as the income eligibility threshold for families to receive child benefits. The prevailing circumstances signified that many children lived in households struggling to provide adequate child care. 

UNICEF currently estimates that children in Uzbekistan are one and a half times more likely to be poor than adults.

Malnutrition

Many young children in Uzbekistan experience undernutrition. Another 2019 UNICEF report, “Building a National Social Protection System Fit For Uzbekistan’s Children and Youth,” reported that 9% of children are stunted, causing irreversible damage to the children’s cognitive development. The report also highlighted that stunted children were likely to earn 26% less as adults than their non-stunted peers, further exacerbating a cycle of poverty and inequality. 

However, from 2002 to 2017, the stunting rate in Uzbekistan dropped from 21% to 8.7%, thanks to Uzbekistan’s immense strides in reducing malnutrition and expanding social welfare.  

Children With Disabilities 

In 2019, 13% of children with disabilities between the ages of 7 and 15 were not enrolled in school. Nearly one-third of young people with disabilities could not attain any diploma, limiting their educational and employment opportunities.

Moreover, UNICEF also determined that 52% of children with severe disabilities lacked access to services from the Child Disability Benefits program, indicating the limited reach of social support for vulnerable children and their families in Uzbekistan.

Social Insecurity 

52% of Uzbekistan’s impoverished households are excluded from any support by the national social protection system, leaving many families with children without benefits and social services. Subsequently, only 17% of children living in households have access to child benefits, only 23% of children under two gain Child Allowance, and only 10% of children between 2 to 14 years old collect the Family Allowance.

Ongoing Efforts by UNICEF

Currently, UNICEF’s global interventions emphasize child-sensitive social protection programs and investing in early childhood and adolescent development. For example, UNICEF is helping Uzbekistan develop a cash benefits program to address household income poverty. The organization plans to further invest in childhood education, health care access, clean water and sanitation to provide impoverished children with the needed care, security and nutrition. The organization hopes to establish sustainable social investments and integrate child-poverty-reduction policies into government budgets. 

Addressing child poverty, improving social security systems and ensuring better access to education and health care for children with disabilities are crucial areas that require concerted efforts from the government, civil society and international organizations to improve the well-being of children in Uzbekistan. 

– Freya Ngo
Photo: Flickr

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Tackling Poverty in the Netherlands Is Urgent

Tackling Poverty in the NetherlandsOn June 9, 2023, Dutch opposition parties took urgent action to address poverty in the Netherlands, demanding significant changes before the summer. The leader of the Socialist Party, Lilian Marijnissen, emphasized that hundreds of thousands of people in the country are living in poverty, with an increasing number relying on food banks. The cabinet also expressed its commitment to reducing poverty. Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag clarified that they are carefully considering all aspects related to tackling poverty in the Netherlands. In March, the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis warned that projections indicated a rise in poverty from 4.7% in 2023 to 5.8% of the population in 2024.

Statistics Show Poverty Remains an Issue

Poverty affects nearly a million citizens in the Netherlands (6% of the population), with children, migrants and the elderly being the most vulnerable groups. To combat this issue, the government plans to reduce poverty through measures like high-income taxes, which could potentially decrease poverty by 60%. Increasing the minimum income support is also likely to be a significant step toward alleviating poverty.

At the end of 2022, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in the Netherlands stood at 14.5%, as reported by EUROSTAT. A 2022 European Commission report highlighted the Netherlands as the only EU state with a social safety net that prevents people from falling into poverty; the country’s minimum income ensures citizens are not left in destitution.

According to CBS, the Netherlands has made progress in reducing the percentage of the poor. However, not all statistics indicate success, as wages have increased, but those at the bottom of the income ladder have become poorer.

Children Living in Poverty in the Netherlands

According to data from 2022, 6.6% of Dutch children live in low-income households. The Netherlands is one of the world’s richest countries; however, 10% of the population lives below the poverty line, which makes education and health care financially unreachable for children growing up in poorer families.

Another issue in the Netherlands is the punishment of children physically at home and school. Violence against children is still an existing problem in the culture. Many of the refugees are held in centers for a longer period, and children seeking asylum do have uninsured rights.

Advancements Toward Battling Poverty in the Netherlands

The National Plan concerning policy on child poverty has declared that every child has access to health care, and local authorities have the accountability to make sure children can get health services since 2022.

Child homelessness is almost nonexistent in the Netherlands, but exact information on children living on the streets is not available. The country does not have a program that focuses on supporting homeless children. They sometimes end up living in child-friendly women’s shelters for a maximum of three months.

The number of children at risk of poverty in the long term has shrunk every year since 2015. The National Plan shares the same view with the government to tackle child poverty. The cabinet is planning on establishing the improvement of the process.

Ongoing Efforts

The Dutch government is working to help those living in extreme poverty who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine by cooperating with organizations aiming to create food security. The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) initiated action against poverty this year. It plans to collect products for the food bank to stop poverty from expanding. This year the Dutch government decided to cut 3.4 billion euros from the budget for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance in the next few years as it intends to turn those funds inward and provide housing for asylum seekers within the country’s borders.

An association of more than 100 Dutch development organizations considers it ill-advised that the Dutch government cut back on tackling the root causes of conflict, climate change, poverty and humanitarian assistance. The Netherlands received €413 million from the European Social Fund in 2022 to resist growing poverty. The country became the first that used money from the EU to ensure people have enough to survive. This means that almost €16 million has been rearranged for essential support, food, books for children and hygienic products for girls. The funding for the European Social Fund runs up to 2027.

What is Next?

The Netherlands employs various methods to combat poverty, boasting one of the lowest at-risk-of-poverty rates at 5.4%, in contrast to the EU average of 21.7%. Marjolijn van Gerven, the National Sustainable Development Goals coordinator, highlighted the diverse approaches for addressing poverty in the country and emphasized the importance of scientific and methodological access in this endeavor. The efforts to tackle and prevent the spread of poverty are underway, as evident in Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag’s statement: “The government really wants to prevent more people from falling into poverty. But we weigh everything, and we do that in August.”

– Klaudia Laura Sebestyen
Photo: Flickr

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Child Poverty in Libya: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Child Poverty in LibyaAs of 2023, approximately one-third of the Libyan population is living below the poverty line, indicating a significant issue of child poverty within the country. Consequently, Libya has an assigned score of 6.97/10 on the Realization of Children’s Rights Index (RCRI). This rating categorizes the situation of children’s rights in Libya as “difficult.”

Causes

The issue of conflict has played a significant role in exacerbating child poverty in Libya. For instance, the Libyan Revolt of 2011 had a detrimental impact on health care standards, depriving parents and children of essential medical care. As a result, they experienced a reduced ability to work, and this pushed families further into poverty. The uprising also resulted in the loss or injury of many parents, further hindering their capacity to fulfill their work responsibilities effectively. The revolt caused the deaths of at least 1,142 civilians and injured over 1,000, leaving behind orphaned children and intensifying child poverty in Libya.

Another contributing factor to child poverty was the disruption of education during the war. Despite the availability of free schooling, more than 61,000 students were unable to complete their academic term in 2011. Moreover, the destruction of 15 school buildings by bombings exacerbated the educational deficit.

Effects

The most damaging effect of child poverty is on the health and well-being of affected children. According to a U.N. report, only 14% of children aged between 6 and 23 months receive the minimum diet as of 2019. The same report reveals that 321,200 children are in need of primary and secondary health services in Libya.

The widespread malnutrition of Libyan children is incredibly damaging to the child’s growth, well-being and development. According to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the negative effects of malnutrition in the first 1000 days of a child’s life include reduced brain development, a weakened immune system and visual impairment.

Another impact of living in a post-conflict and impoverished society comes from the desire to obtain funds regardless of the method. In Libya, many children living in poverty collect and sell weapons and ammunition left over from wartime to earn money for their families. Other kids pick up weapons or shrapnel out of sheer curiosity, relishing in new, shiny, foreign objects. Naturally, this is very dangerous. Unfortunately, some children have injured themselves or unfortunately lost their lives as a result.

Solutions

Concrete measures exist to alleviate child poverty rates in Libya. Since 2018, the World Food Programme (WFP) has been actively addressing malnutrition in Libya. Through monthly provisions of food and support, the WFP assists around 90,000 vulnerable individuals. Additionally, it offers financial contributions to bolster the country’s social programs. Collaborating with the U.N. and the Government of Libya, the WFP strives to implement effective solutions to reduce child poverty rates in the post-conflict era.

There has been notable progress in reducing infant mortality rates, but further advancements require attention to youth development.

Education stands as the key to breaking the cycle of child poverty in Libya. Education not only alleviates poverty at an individual level but also at a societal level. According to the World Bank, education enhances employment opportunities, fostering economic growth and innovation.

By ensuring improved access to education, this long-term solution aims to break the cycle of child poverty in Libya. In enhancing job prospects for children facing poverty, education plays a crucial role in their empowerment.

The Multi-Year Resilience Programme

There is ongoing progress with respect to addressing the challenging goal of tackling child poverty in Libya. One notable organization working towards this is ‘Education Cannot Wait‘, founded in 2016 by international humanitarian aid and development actors. Its mission is to create a safe learning environment for children affected by crisis. Education Cannot Wait has launched initiatives in crisis-affected countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Iraq and Libya.

The Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP), initiated in 2022 with an investment of $11.1 million, is part of these efforts. The MYRP focuses on improving education access by implementing various strategies. The poorest children receive cash transfers, and this helps to alleviate financial constraints on education. Investments go into training teachers to ensure the delivery of high-quality and inclusive education.

As of June 2023, the MYRP has yielded positive results in Libya. There are currently 723 teachers, and 28,000 children have benefited from additional support in schools, including improved sanitation and access to clean water. Furthermore, 2,975 children have received crucial free meals provided by the schools.

While these efforts show promise, the problem of child poverty in Libya requires further attention. There is a need for more commitment and vigilance from all involved parties working to drive change.

– Tom Eccles
Photo: Unsplash

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Children International Works to End Global Child Poverty

Children InternationalThe poverty disparity between adults and children is ever-growing. Children are twice as likely to live in poverty in comparison to adults, according to UNICEF. Globally, one billion children live in multidimensional poverty and approximately 365 million live in extreme poverty. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has pulled 150 million more children, including some from the wealthiest countries, into poverty. For this reason, the work of nonprofits addressing child poverty, such as Children International, is especially urgent.

Children International

Children International, a nonprofit that has worked to end poverty for nearly 80 years, is renowned for its transparency. Its website displays the many tangible positive changes the organization has brought about for children living in poverty. Children International believes addressing the needs of children is the way to end global poverty. Through its unique child sponsorship program, a person from anywhere in the world can fund the health, educational, security and nutritional needs of a child.

Through its Employment Program, Empowerment Program and various health and education programs, Children International works to end global child poverty through sustainable short-term and long-term approaches. These include providing basic health and dental services, boosting children’s confidence and creating post-graduation employment opportunities.

Safe Community Centers

Children International has also created more than 67 community centers to ensure that children can grow in secure and safe environments. Holistic child care in these safe spaces addresses the nutritional, educational and physical needs of children up to age 20. Children International believes that safe spaces and programs tailored to the unique needs of each child will ultimately end global poverty.

Nuanced Attention to Every Child

Children International’s customized programs focus on the individual needs of each child. The child sponsorship program enables donors to choose a child to sponsor, then give directly to that child’s specific needs. This “contextualization” ensures that both “a 6-year-old in Zambia” and “a 14-year-old in Honduras” have their particular needs met. The child sponsorship program focuses on the nuanced needs of every child by truly listening to the children themselves and allocating the necessary resources to lift them out of poverty.

Children International’s customized programs ensure that children are educated, healthy, employed and empowered as they transition into adulthood. The education program also provides children with shoes, books, uniforms, tutoring and scholarships and builds community centers with computers and other useful resources. Nearly 88% of children engaged in tutoring programs from Children International have improved profoundly in reading, writing and math and 71% of those involved in the Employment Program have found employment.

Ending Global Child Poverty

Success stories from four continents illuminate the astounding work of Children International, which has helped more than one million children. Children International is working to end global child poverty and has already taken off immensely in its success.

– Nora Zaim-Sassi
Photo: Flickr

Child Poverty in Russia

Child Poverty in RussiaWhile Russia is a very resource-rich country, it suffers from intense social inequality. The top 1% of the Russian population control 71% of the nation’s wealth. 13% of Russians are currently living in poverty. Unfortunately, the majority of people living in extreme poverty are children. 60% of those living below the poverty line in Russia are families with children. As a result of social inequality, child poverty in Russia continues to rise.  Currently, one in four Russian children lives below the poverty line.

Poverty in Russia

Russia is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil. As such, those that control the oil industry generate great wealth.  However, this leaves many others to suffer in poverty. The nation has a high unemployment rate, but people who have obtained employment often suffer as well. The minimum wage in Russia is among the lowest of all developed countries. The monthly minimum wage in Russia is 12,310 rubles, which is the equivalent of $196.

Additionally, 26% of Russian children live off of close to $150 per month. Child poverty in Russia is most prevalent in rural areas, as many do not have access to employment opportunities in the city. The majority of children living in poverty reside with their families. Most families have three children and are often unable to sustain themselves with their current income.

Aid in Russia

USAID has worked with the government to create programs and opportunities that aim to remedy child poverty in Russia and help foster the economy. Specifically, USAID has created a child welfare program for Russian children living in poverty. The program provided services that focused on reducing child abandonment and finding foster families for children without homes. Fortunately, this program has already increased family reunification by 33%, and there was an 85% increase of children finding foster families.

Various programs helped diversify the Russian economy and uplift struggling families. USAID has worked to increase the development of Russian small business sectors. Small businesses make up 12% of the economy, which is only one-fifth of what is found in other developed nations.

By 2024, Russia aims to reduce the poverty rate by 50%. Russia must work to decrease the extreme amounts of social inequality and provide more opportunities for people in rural areas to alleviate poverty. Additionally, an increase in minimum wage will allow families to sufficiently provide for themselves.

Many programs have been implemented to help reduce child poverty in Russia.  While substantial change has been made, the Russian government must continue to increase its efforts to uplift the economy and families struggling in poverty.

– Christopher McLean
Photo: Flickr

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5 NGOs Improving Education in Cambodia

Improving education in CambodiaCambodia has come a long way in eliminating poverty. From 2007 to 2014, Cambodia’s poverty rate decreased by about 30% and it is now a middle-income country. However, one pressing issue that continues to trouble the country is access to education, particularly for those living in extreme poverty and rural areas. The good news is that several organizations are improving education in Cambodia by increasing access and tackling obstacles head-on.

Cambodian Children’s Fund

The Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) works in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Stung Meanchey district. Though the organization’s focus is on improving education in Cambodia, CCF starts by providing basic needs to the families living in the highly impoverished area that was once a dumping ground. This meant building suitable shelters and homes for families living in makeshift tents.

Once CCF helped provide essentials, the focus turned toward providing stable education for children, while their parents scavenged the junkyard to earn whatever income they could. Children that started in extreme poverty were now attending primary school through high school due to CCF. In 15 years, CCF provided education for more than 3000 children, and of those that started early in the program, nearly 70% were attending college.

Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE)

French expatriates Christian and Marie-France des Pallières, created PSE when the couple traveled to Cambodia and noticed the number of children experiencing extreme poverty. The couple spent two decades advocating for children living in poverty in Cambodia, commuting between there and Europe.

Initially starting in Phnom Penh, PSE now has more than 6000 students benefitting from the organization’s projects throughout Cambodia, including more rural areas near Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. PSE provides everything from food to healthcare and enrolls children in state or corrective schools depending on their needs. Cambodia’s Ministry of Education has noticed success in PSE’s remedial schools. The PSE approach, now utilized by the government, will be improving education in Cambodia for 6000 children per annum.

Khmer NGO for Education (KHEN)

In 2014, KHEN changed direction from being a health education organization to highlight children’s rights. Now, KHEN is a large-scale NGO focused on improving education in Cambodia’s rural Battambang province for traditionally unprotected children, including those with disabilities, girls, minorities and children living in extreme poverty.

KHEN operates in more than 100 schools, most of which were built by the group, and serves more than 10,000 children. It has a long-term focus on education while also protecting children from human trafficking and poor health. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, KHEN acted swiftly to modify its schools to be open-air and socially distanced, with sanitation stations. Teachers and volunteers received education on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and home-learning tactics changed as well.

Cambodian Community Dream Organization

The Cambodian Community Dream Organization (CCDO) was founded by U.S citizen, Jenni Lipa, who exclusively worked on building water wells in the rural areas around Siem Reap. Now, CCDO improves lives by providing sanitary services, health programs and extensive education systems. CCDO keeps costs low by using local and international volunteers and local paid staff.

There are three schools CCDO operates in, centered on English learning. CCDO offers a schooling experience like most developed countries, with physical education, libraries, playgrounds, arts and crafts and computer workshops. Children enrolled in the programs are particularly fond of the library. CCDO also provides early childhood education programs and gives students who excel in their classes opportunities for high school and university scholarships.

People Improvement Organization

Since 2002, the People Improvement Organization (PIO) has operated in poverty-stricken areas of Phnom Penh. Phymean Noun, a native Cambodian, believed the children scrounging through junk piles to make a living deserved a chance to achieve their dreams. The decision she made was to improve education in Cambodia in order to end child poverty.

PIO believes in providing high-quality education to all children in need. All students attend PIO schools voluntarily, but PIO provides clothes, food, clean water, full social care and health services. Many children who scavenged through junkyards to survive have been pulled out of poverty and are now attending PIO high schools and even university.

NGOs have helped reduce child poverty in Cambodia through better access and improvements in education. The low costs in Cambodia allow new organizations to form rapidly and successfully. Through similar philanthropic efforts toward improving education in Cambodia, child poverty can be successfully combated.

– Zachary Kunze
Photo: Flickr