Poverty means more than a lack of income for families. It also means a lack of resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods, such as food, clothing, clean water and proper shelter, and this has detrimental outcomes for children in the United States.
Children living in poverty in the U.S. often suffer from hunger and malnutrition, ill-health, and limited or no access to education and other basic services. When children are raised in impoverished households, they often have to drop out of school to help their families or don’t attend school at all. Without an education, they have a very little chance of breaking the cycle of poverty in which they live.
Children living in poverty in the United States often suffer from hunger and malnutrition, ill-health, and limited or no access to education and other basic services.
Poverty can cause children permanent damage, both physically and mentally, and in both the short and long term. A lack of essentials can stunt their growth, and lead to health problems. It also affects their roles within their families, communities, and society as a whole. Poverty denies children their human rights, and leads to a vicious cycle of deprivation, which is difficult to break without proper support or assistance.
Challenges for Children in the United States
Poverty in the United States has created an emergency situation for children. Right now, children all over the United States need your help, and your support today can give a child growing up in poverty the opportunity for a brighter future.
– About 15 million children in the United States, or 21%, live in families with incomes
below the federal poverty threshold
– There are 72.4 million children in the United States; 41% of them live
in low-income families
– Almost 40% of children in the United States spend at least 1 year in poverty
before they turn 18
– Approximately 1 in 8 households in the United States suffers from
food insecurity
– Students who come from low-income families are 7 times more likely to drop
out of school than those from families with higher incomes
With your help, we can ensure children in the United States have the basic needs they require to go to school, get an education, and have the chance at a brighter future.
Our Work in the United States
Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of impoverished children in the United States since 1964.
We work with our volunteer coordinators in local communities to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.
Our strategy is to focus on individual children through our sponsorship program, ensuring they are receiving exactly what they need on a regular basis.
Your support makes all our work to help children in crisis in the United States possible.
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How do I sponsor a child in the United States?
You can sponsor a child in the United States in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in the United States that is available for sponsorship.
Sources:
https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/news-internal/monthly-poverty-january-2022
https://www.aecf.org/blog/new-child-poverty-data-illustrates-the-powerful-impact-of-americas-safety-net-programs
https://www.unicef.org/social-policy/child-poverty