The effects of poverty on children are wide-reaching and can lead to lifelong struggles, especially when young people don’t receive full educations.
Poverty and education are inextricably linked, because people living in poverty may stop going to school so they can work, which leaves them without literacy and numeracy skills they need to further their careers. Their children, in turn, are in a similar situation years later, with little income and few options but to leave school and work.
ChildFund aims to help families escape the cycle of poverty through various educational and livelihood programs. Many times, we learn by listening to communities about their specific needs and working to fulfill them.
For example, ChildFund India started a literacy campaign in regions where few households had any books, and because most homes didn’t have electrical power, ChildFund India distributed nearly 40,000 solar-powered lamps so children could read at night time.