The world's most disadvantaged children

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The world's most disadvantaged children

The world's most disadvantaged children

At Plan International UK, we see from our work in the field that children are still suffering the most in poorer nations. Our sponsorship programmes aim to support and educate young children to try and lift themselves out of the cycle of malnutrition and lack of healthcare that comes with being poor.

In a new report out today, we can see that the work we do is far from over. By 2030, the report states, 69 million children will die from mostly preventable causes and the world’s poorest children are twice as likely to die before their 5th birthday than the richest.

Poverty can also lead to malnutrition, underdevelopment in children and the lack of resources also has wider implications on their lives. Girls from the world’s poorest households are 2.5 times more likely to marry as children than girls in richer circumstances.

In Cameroon, Kadidja, 15 (above) is a refugee from the Central African Republic (CAR). By the age of 15 she is already married and has a two-year-old daughter. While fleeing their native country they lost Kadidja’s husband and parents. Kadidja’s daughter has severe malnutrition and diarrhoea, Kadidja says, “I saw many children die along the way. I was terrified and prayed that mine won’t die as well.”

Kadidja is one of many unaccompanied children and young mothers crossing the Cameroonian border each day. Plan International is working in the refugee camps to meet immediate aid, including hygiene and sanitation. We are also extending our responses to include child protection and education.

The UNICEF report shows that children, whose mothers have no education, are three times more likely to die before the age of five. At Plan International, we are committed to improving access to education for children and young mothers all around the world.

The number of children around the world that attend school has dropped since 2011, and even of those that do finish primary education 2 in 5 children will not have learned to read or write during that time.

Our child sponsorship programmes fund school’s in remote villages and encourages children out of poverty and into a healthy and long life.

(All statistics from UNICEF’s 2016 report, State of the World’s Children – a fair chance for every child.)