What better way to commemorate youth month than highlight issues surrounding the youth of this country, and to also try and seek solutions to these issues.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a body, who’s mission it is to promote policies that improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world by providing a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. The OECD released a report with rather distressing findings. A summary of some of their findings are depicted in the graph below (these figures were updated in July 2018):
In summary,
- child poverty rates increased in 13 of the 20 OECD countries with available data
- poverty rates tend to be much higher in jobless households than in households where at least one adult works
- on average across the OECD, 63.4% of individuals living in jobless households with children also live in relative income poverty, compared to only 9.2% of individuals in working households with children
- out of 48 member countries, South Africa has the 2nd highest percentage of children with a household disposable income below the poverty threshold.
Raising children today is far more challenging than it’s ever been before with so many variables to consider. Compounding this effect, particularly in South Africa, are the alarmingly high levels of income inequality and poverty. Children are the most affected by this.
What’s the solution then? If you are reading this article, you are one of the fortunate few and you have a unique opportunity to make a difference. One of the best things we can do is to equip our children for the future (we’ll suggest a few ideas during the month) and to try raise wonderful people that will make meaningful contributions to the world.