DEVELOPMENT: Signs of Hope for Ethiopia's Children

Children's wellbeing is closely related to their socioeconomic status and parents' backgrounds. Credit: Kadire Nomoro/YoungLives/PhotoVoice JOHANNESBURG, Oct 13 (IPS) - Amid the hardship facing Ethiopia's children, there are signs that conditions may be improving and that children's lives are changing for the better. According to results released this week by an international research project 'Young Lives', which examines key indicators of childhood poverty, Ethiopia has seen improvements over the past six years in the areas of nutrition, school enrolment and the incidence of child labour. Young Lives investigates the changing nature of childhood poverty by following a group of 12,000 children in four countries -- Ethiopia, Peru, India and Vietnam -- over a period of 15 years. When this is matched with information gathered... [read full story]