Working together to meet the needs of the world.
By investing in and partnering with programs that improve the lives of children, we contribute to making the world a better place.
In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals have the power to create a better world by 2030, by ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. Guided by the goals, it is now up to all of us, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public to work together to build a better future for everyone.
Nearly half of the world’s children live in poverty.
According to the most recent estimates, in 2015, 10% of the world’s population (734 million people) lived on less than $1.90 a day. Nearly half (3 billion people) live on less than $2.50 a day.
One out of five children live in extreme poverty, and the negative effects of poverty and deprivation in the early years have ramifications that can last a lifetime.
Globally, more than 20,000 children die each day due to poverty. Millions of children live without adequate shelter, access to safe water, adequate sanitation, or access to health services.
In America, 22% of all children under 18 live in poverty, including 39% of Black children, 35% of Latino children, and 12% of white children.
Even before COVID-19, baseline projections suggested that 6% of the global population would still be living in extreme poverty in 2030. The fallout from the pandemic threatens to push over 70 million people into extreme poverty.
Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are expected to see the largest increases in extreme poverty, with an additional 32 million and 26 million people, respectively, living below the international poverty line as a result of the pandemic.
Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world.
In the United States, 2.5% of the population was suffering from hunger 2018.
In 2016, 3.5% of U.S. children under 5 years of age had stunted growth.
Nationally, only 35% of public school students were at or above Proficient in grade 4 reading.
37% of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. 50% of children from low-income communities start first grade up to two years behind their peers. Children from economically disadvantaged children may know only one or two letters of the alphabet when entering kindergarten, while children in the middle class will know all 26.
Across the nation only 47.8% of children between birth and five years are read to every day by their parents or other family members. 61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children.
Illiteracy is a major factor in whether adolescents graduate from high school. One in 6 high school students — or about 1.2 million teens — drop out each year.
50% of youth with a history of substance abuse have reading problems.
A mother's reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children's future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income.