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Child education is a source of both joy and stress for millions worldwide.

It can be a time of exploration, learning about new ideas, and experiencing new cultures. But it can also be a struggle, where challenges at home prevent some kids from having the same opportunities as their peers.  

Education — in all its forms — is essential to fighting poverty and ensuring every child has opportunities in life.

This article examines the connection between child education and poverty, focusing on the basics of the fundamental question: How can we eradicate this situation? 

What Is Child Poverty?

Child Poverty is when these kids' families lack the money, resources, and opportunities to meet the basic needs of a child. These needs vary between cultures and countries, but they typically include healthy food, clean water, decent housing, health care, and education.

People living in poverty may struggle to put food on the table for their families, afford rent, or access medical care if they are sick.  

There are many ways to measure poverty, depending on what aspect we want to focus on. For example, people may measure poverty through income, access to food, or health insurance.

This article focuses on child poverty, the number of young children living below a certain income threshold. That threshold varies depending on each country's cost of living. In Mexico, poverty is measured with other factors beyond income, such as access to a dignified and higher education, social security, and healthcare.

How Many Children Live In Poverty in Mexico? 

Following Statista data for 2020, over 52% percent of Mexicans under 18 years old live in poverty, reaching over 20 million children and teenagers in this tragic situation.

Child poverty is a complex issue and tackling it requires a holistic approach. The effects of poverty on young people's development can be lifelong, which is why it’s so important to address this issue as early as possible.

Many NGOs have developed strategies for tackling child poverty from the root and making them feel safe. They focus on improving their life chances by giving them free and high-quality education to help them make a future for themselves.

What Are The Effects Of Growing Up Poor? 

The exact effects of growing up poor differ depending on the child. But in general, being poor as a child can hinder their mental health and overall well-being. Poor nutrition, limited access to healthcare, and low social support levels affect their human rights.

Poverty can affect a child’s ability to succeed in life in many ways. Boys and girls living in poverty are likely to do poorly in school. They often face bouts of illness and home-stressing issues, which can significantly interfere with their learning ability and earn academic achievements.

In addition, poor children can often feel ashamed of their situation and are sometimes teased at school by peers. 

How Can We Combat Child Poverty?

There are many ways to combat child poverty. One of the most important is to provide financial assistance to parents in low-income families to help them meet their children’s basic needs.

This aid can include food assistance, rent or mortgage assistance, or assistance with health care costs.  

Another important way to combat child poverty is to promote social mobility. Promoting social mobility involves creating opportunities for poor children to get ahead in life and break out of poverty. These include access to high-quality early childhood education or improving public schools in low-income areas.

Combating child poverty requires action at all levels of society. In Fundación Esperanza Contigo A.C, we work hard to do our part, but we need your help now.

Committing with several foster houses in Baja California, México, we fight child poverty by giving orphans in Tijuana the power to reshape their futures in the long term. We support them with a complete education, basic needs, and optimized healthcare.

Help us to keep us going further: Donate or volunteer with us today.