What is Child Poverty?
Poverty is a widespread global problem that affects just over 9% of people worldwide. According to World Vision, that’s roughly 689 million impoverished people globally, meaning all of those people have to find ways to survive off of $1.90 per day. Many people think of poverty as something that affects adults, but what about kids? And what is child poverty?
Today, we will explore the answer to the question, “What is child poverty?” We will start by defining child poverty, and from there, we’ll take a look at the detrimental impacts of poverty on children and communities alike.
We will give you insight into how charities positively affect child poverty rates, using Our Little Roses as a prime example. Plus, we will let you know how you can get involved and eradicate child poverty on either a local level or a global scale.
Ready to learn more about the answer to the question, “What is child poverty?” Let’s get started!
The Definition of Child Poverty
The official definition of child poverty, as defined by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is extreme deprivation that results in children not having their needs met or not receiving the bare necessities of life due to a low-to-no-income household. Poverty is a complex pattern to break, and when it remains part of the cycle, it impacts children of parents who have to live on $1.90 or less per day.
The Detrimental Impacts of Poverty on Children and Communities
There’s a saying out there that states, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and it’s famous for a reason. It’s true! Children are deeply impacted by the environment they grow up in, and their community will either uplift them or discourage them.
Essentially, communities and children go hand in hand. So, if poverty impacts a community, it affects the children within that community just the same. By working to reverse the effects of poverty on society, you can change the lives of the children in it as well.
We will talk about how you can help reduce child poverty in your community and communities around the world momentarily. Let’s take a look at some of the detrimental impacts of poverty on children and communities.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, child poverty yields many consequences, one of which is the overall theme of fewer advantages compared to their peers being raised by comfortable or affluent parents.
From physical abilities and mental health statuses to educational opportunities and the ability to land a job with a liveable wage, children raised in impoverished communities or by parents who fall below the poverty line typically have less success in these areas of life.
This has everything to do with money being like a key that opens the door to opportunities. Money cannot buy everything, but it can give you a level of freedom that life without money cannot offer.
So, you can answer the question, “What is child poverty?” by saying that it’s a circumstance that takes opportunities away from kids and makes it harder for them to obtain the basics in life, like healthcare, education, food, water, and shelter.
Children living in poverty need help from people who have access to resources because those people are lifelines for kids impacted by child poverty. That’s why charities and nonprofit organizations like Our Little Roses exist.
How Charities Positively Affect Child Poverty
Charities, nonprofits, and organizations exist for the sake of improving the lives of children affected by poverty. You can think of charities as the lifeline between child poverty and a better quality of life.
While every organization will have its mission statement, many nonprofits and charities dedicated to helping less fortunate children strive to end child poverty altogether. They often seek to find solutions to the problem of child poverty while taking measures to improve the lives of the kids in their communities.
Whether that means an organization houses children who would otherwise be living on the streets, a charity pays for the schooling of children from low-income households, or a nonprofit delivers groceries to impoverished families with children, each organization, charity, and nonprofit will have its way of combating child poverty. But no matter their approach, their goals are often the same.
For example, at Our Little Roses, we take a multifaceted approach to child poverty. We dedicate our lives to saving girls living in poverty across Honduras. By combining our four core values of love, respect, justice, and faith, we combat child poverty by giving young girls in Honduras access to food, shelter, water, housing, education, extracurriculars, and healthcare. We believe education is the key to breaking the chains of generational poverty and it is our highest priority.
How You Can Help Reduce Child Poverty
Are you interested in combating child poverty in Honduras? Consider partnering with Our Little Roses and becoming a child sponsor! Our sponsorship program is very interactive, engaging, and straightforward.
You won’t only be giving to children in need. Instead, you’ll be getting a lot in return, namely a relationship with the child you’re sponsoring. But if a child sponsorship is either not possible for you or not something you’re interested in, we also offer the opportunity to become a donor!
Whether you want to donate monthly or send in a one-time donation, the option is entirely yours. To learn more about donations and sponsorships with Our Little Roses, be sure to check out our website and read about OLR in greater detail.
If you have any questions, contact us! We look forward to answering your inquiries and connecting over familiar ground, the desire to eradicate child poverty worldwide.