| Popis: |
Children’s development and well-being are significantly influenced by the circumstances of their families and communities, with poor and marginalised children facing a heavier burden of risk. This paper summarises emerging findings from the Young Lives longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, Peru and Vietnam. It examines how children’s development is shaped by different environmental influences, highlighting the changes in children’s daily lives during the first decade of the twenty-first century, including the changing nature of risks and opportunities. We offer six key research messages, focusing on: 1. how the poorest children continue to be left behind despite rising living standards overall, illustrated by the increased concentration of stunting. 2. the vulnerability of children in poor households to repeated environmental and economic shocks and the potential of social protection schemes to alleviate these problems. 3. how rapid changes in people’s living environment, such as the expansion of basic services, roads and communications, bring new opportunities but also risk reinforcing the social exclusion of poor and marginalised children. 4. the current shortfalls in school quality, effectiveness and relevance that limit the potentially transformative power of education. 5. how children continue to face competing pressures on their time through combining schooling with traditional work roles and contributions to the household. 6. how rapid social change is creating new dilemmas within households and communities about how best to protect children and prepare them for the future. We conclude that poverty reduction and improved access to services and schooling have reduced some risks and created new opportunities for many children. However, the poorest children are being left behind against the backdrop of generally rising living standards. For example, although school enrolment rates have increased, the poorest children most often experience poorer-quality education, and while malnutrition and stunting are declining, the reductions are far greater among less poor children. Creating a supportive environment for children’s development requires tackling the structural causes of disadvantage, with a particular focus on communities where children experience multiple disadvantages. We anticipate that later phases of Young Lives research will provide further evidence on these issues, as children become young adults and make the transition into work, marriage and parenthood. |
