Child poverty can be devastating – and it lasts a lifetime.
Around the world, the poorest children are most at risk of disease, malnutrition and stunting. They’re more likely to miss out on school, or get a poor quality education. And there’s a greater chance they’ll suffer early marriage, physical violence or child labour.
But child poverty isn’t inevitable, as the story of Meera and her family, below, shows.
Governments are now recognising this too. In 2015, over 160 national leaders signed up to 17 Sustainable Development Goals, targets that could end hunger, extreme poverty and preventable child deaths by 2030.
We're campaigning tirelessly to make sure governments deliver.
We're also working to tackle child poverty in the UK. Britain's one of the world’s richest countries, yet rates of poverty are rising, with serious implications for children's future life chances.
Delhi, India – This is Meera, 10, one of 6 siblings.
Meera lives in a large marketplace in Delhi with her mother and her two younger sisters. They sleep under a piece of plastic on a blanket amongst other families.
Meera has spent most of her life on the streets, begging for food. Thanks to help from Save the Children and other local partners, Meera has recently been able to start going back to school after being supported by a shelter for children and families without a home. The shelter is funded by Save the Children via local partners.
The shelter now allows Meera to go to school in the mornings and spend her afternoons playing in and around the shelter with her friends.
Here's a few of the things we're doing;
Bangladesh: Tackling stunting by changing the way nutrition services work and helping develop sustainable livelihoods. We’re also supporting mothers and young children in 191,000 households.
Lebanon: Providing cash assistance with five other NGOs to help the most vulnerable Syrian refugees afford food and essentials. Monthly payments will reach around 154,000 people.
Qasim and Talib’s family was displaced from Sa’ada in North Yemen, where their father was a businessman, leaving behind their big house and farm. They lost everything in airstrikes. Now Save the Children supports them with monthly cash transfers.
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