Knowing that children are our hope for the future, failing to support them could lead to generational catastrophe. Given that more than half of people living in extreme poverty are children, it is certain that access to basic needs, such as good nutrition, vaccination and education, is minimal and their chances survival rates are extremely low.
The combination of COVID-19, conflict and the climate crisis has hampered progress towards ending child poverty. With the prolonged closure of schools, years of education have been delayed. With health systems overwhelmed, routine vaccinations have been postponed, and as climate disasters have intensified, the cost of living has increased, leading to reduced access to children’s basic needs.
According to UNICEF, more than six in ten children aged 10 are unable to read and understand simple text. All these facts are alarming and show to what extent the world has failed the little ones.
However, we can take action to raise a vibrant and successful next generation. Canada must keep its promise to increase its international aid envelope and invest 600 million Canadian dollars in 2024 when the budget is announced in February 2024. This aid will finance programs (such as the Charlevoix Initiative on Education, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative) which ensure that immunization, nutrition and education reach all children, especially those living in the most vulnerable communities. poorest, most isolated and most marginalized in the world.
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