• Halve the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day
• Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Starting with children to reduce poverty
According to estimates by UNICEF, about 600 million children live on less than US$1 a day, and 300 million go to bed hungry. Extreme child poverty and hunger threaten not only children’s physical well-being, but also harm their emotional and mental development, especially during their crucial early years. They make them more susceptible to diseases, and may lead to their exploitation as child laborers, child soldiers, or as victims of traffickers.

Extreme poverty violates children’s rights of protection
Providing children with basic education, health care, nutrition and protection fulfills their rights, increasing their chances of survival and of a productive future.

SOS Children’s Villages responds by:

• providing protective environments for children in SOS Children’s Villages as well as in their biological families through family strengthening programs;
• supporting families in developing their capacity to become materially and financially self-sufficient, with a focus on providing skills for income-generating activities;
• contributing to the local health care infrastructure by establishing medical facilities where children and their families receive care and counselling;
• establishing and strengthening local safety nets for children and their families, such as community child-care centers, schools, and basic social services to help them overcome poverty;
• maintaining feeding programs in emergency situations.