Rachel Bhatia from Save the Children reports for First News on what they say it means for children to be living in poverty in our own country.

Poverty is Worldwide 

Right now millions of children around the world are suffering, living lives tougher than we could ever imagine; going without enough food, warm clothes and a decent place to sleep. But it isn’t just children in poorer countries – 3.5 million children in the UK live in poverty.

Can we end child poverty?

The Government has promised to end child poverty in the UK by 2020. However, recently it was found that by then there will be even more children living in poverty – 800,000 more.

For those living in poverty, life really is a struggle. Nobody wants to go to school in shoes that don’t fit, have to do their homework in a freezing cold house or go to bed hungry. Yet, for millions of children, this is how they live. And poverty can affect your whole life. 

Effect on children

Children in poverty are 50% less likely than their better off classmates to get five good GCSEs. And, shockingly, poverty also means people can live for ten fewer years than people who have more money.

Ending up in poverty can happen so easily. If someone loses their job, there won’t be much money coming in. This means that it can be hard to pay for everything, especially when something like a big heating bill comes in. This could be an amount of money that some families just don’t have.

For a family that is struggling to get by, something like that can easily tip them into poverty and debt that builds up.

Life for kids

Sally Copley, Save the Children Head of UK Poverty, says: “Growing up in poverty is incredibly hard, leaving millions of children growing up without the same chances as better-off children.

“As well as missing out on the things many of us take for granted – nice clothes and a warm house – these children are also least likely to get a good education, which is often their only chance of escaping poverty.”

What causes poverty? 

The UK is one of the richest places in the world, so how can this have happened? One of the main reasons is high unemployment leaving many families with a lot less money to get by on. At the same time, living costs, especially for the most basic essentials such as food and heating, have gone up.

The Government has also cut many things that helped families, such as child benefit. This particularly affects the poorest families.

Chances for kids

Sally Copley continues: “All children should have the same chances to do well in life. No child should grow up in such a rich country and yet be going without enough food and falling behind in their education just because they are poor. The Government must do everything they can to stop the number of children growing up in poverty increasing, with the aim of ending all child poverty by 2020. With the right actions it can be done.”

Save the Children is already doing its bit to help these families, working hard at tackling deprivation and disadvantage across the UK. We can make sure kids get the very basics – food, a bed, some toys and books. These are the things most of us take for granted.

We also run projects that help parents help their children to do better at school, particularly in those really important first few years.