International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: Leveraging Science and Catholic Values to Fight Poverty Globally
Neil Boothby—professor and director of the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC)—recently joined the GC-DWC’s Communications Associate, Brooke Parker, for a conversation on creating pathways out of adversity for children living on the margins of society, with a specific look at the prioritization of early childhood development and activating the systems surrounding children as key pathways out of poverty. The following article is based on this interview.
Poverty has multiple dimensions, some visible and others hidden, but all interlinked. Today, October 17th, is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP); this year’s theme considers ways to act together to promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies—appropriately, effectively, and respectfully responding to the needs of the people left furthest behind. (United Nations)
As we strive to create a more equitable world, it is imperative that we prioritize the eradication of poverty, particularly for vulnerable children who are at most risk of being left behind. For children living in poverty, access to basic necessities and opportunities for a better future are not just aspirations, but fundamental rights that must be protected and promoted. The COVID-19 pandemic caused extreme poverty to rise in 2020 for the first time in decades, reversing global progress by three years (United Nations). In 2022, 712 million people (or 9% of the world's population) lived in extreme poverty, an increase of 23 million people from 2019. Globally, in 2018, nearly 8% of workers and their families lived on less than U.S. $1.90 per person per day (United Nations). Poverty is not just a lack of income, but also encompasses factors such as a lack of access to basic services, education, healthcare, and social exclusion.
Childhood Development and Learning Crisis Globally
Early Childhood Development (ECD) is an essential first step in alleviating poverty. 60-70% of achievement gaps between children in professional families versus economically marginalized families is evident before children start formal schools. Positive parenting, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and school and nutritional preparedness get children off to a strong beginning. Truly, the household is the first school—and parents are the first teachers.
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are a time of tremendous potential and enormous vulnerability. How well or how poorly mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time has a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive. These crucial years build the foundation for cognitive, emotional, and social competencies, where essential skills such as language acquisition, motor skills, and social interactions are developed; the experiences and interactions a child has can significantly influence their ability to reach these milestones and be prepared to take hold of formal school opportunities. Learning poverty—defined as not attending school or failing to learn to read in school with comprehension by age 10—has been linked to early childhood deficits, and affects 53% of children living in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) (World Bank, 2019). If children do not get off to a strong beginning, they are less likely to succeed in K-12 educational settings and beyond.
Investing in this critical period of childhood development is one of the most cost-effective ways to address the negative individual and societal effects of poverty, and can significantly enhance developmental outcomes, setting the stage for lifelong well-being. Despite the importance of early childhood development (ECD), it still needs to be prioritized in LMICs.
The Catholic Church: As Essential Institution for Vulnerable Children
The global Catholic Church, renowned for its multicultural and multilingual composition, is one of the most influential institutions worldwide (McGreevy, 2023). It is in a unique position to cater to the needs of young children in LMICs and internally displaced and refugee children, and its expansive reach enables it to surmount the structural hurdles faced by governmental systems. With 85% of the global population identifying with a religious affiliation and 18% as Catholic (Pew Research Center, 2011), the Church stands as the largest nonstate provider of education services, with over 62 million children attending Catholic schools globally (Grace & Wodon, 2021; Wodon, 2023). Engaging in diverse social roles, it operates hospitals, healthcare clinics, drug rehabilitation centers, and food banks, thereby playing a crucial role in family dynamics and social protection in LMICs (Wodon, 2022). A key strength of the Church lies in its parish communities—composed of families, schools, and churches—which serve as potential agents of change directly impacting young children in LMICs and safeguarding them during crises. Unlike wealthier nations where governments often provide essential ECD services, in many parts of the Global South, governmental systems lack the necessary funding, reach, or authority to deliver such services. In these contexts, the local parish community represents the primary asset for constructing a coherent child development and learning system.
Activating the Catholic Church System
To leverage the strength of parish communities, the University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC) has been developing an innovative systems activation approach. The center’s mission revolves around fostering the holistic growth of children, encompassing the cultivation of positive human connections, fulfillment of fundamental needs, and nurturing of the skills and capacities essential for success across various stages of life, within the unique socio-economic fabric of their environment. Typically, these critical aspects are most effectively addressed within the family unit, educational institutions, and immediate societal surroundings.
System activation works to align approaches—child development knowledge, messages, and interventions—across the three settings—home, school, and parish—of the Church ecology where young children are in regular contact with individuals who affect their learning and development. Using the structure, hierarchy, and processes of the Catholic Church, as well as its reach into homes, schools, and the parish community, we look for contextually appropriate ways to engage the Church ecosystem in programming for young children that is holistic, cross-sectoral, and fit-for-purpose. If we can understand how to engage in this system’s activation in Catholic parishes in some of the poorest and most fragile contexts—like Haiti and Uganda—we could extend that knowledge to address the poverty-related developmental deprivation that is facing millions of children worldwide.
Notre Dame’s Unique Position to be an Agent of Change
The fight against poverty must start with a focus on the most vulnerable members of society, especially children, whose future prospects are deeply impacted by the cycle of poverty they are born into. Notre Dame—through the GC-DWC—has the potential to provide a unique approach to poverty alleviation through activating community parish systems. The Catholic church is an untapped resource in investing in children early, and in some rural and impoverished communities, it is the only viable system to do so. From a faith-science perspective, Catholic Social Teaching paints a directive to address the needs of children and those at the margins of society, while science, in turn, shows us how to do so. As stated throughout University missions and values, Notre Dame is thus uniquely called to translate these Church principles into action in service to all humankind, demonstrating how faith and reason can work together for the good of humanity.
Notre Dame is a catalyst for change–uniquely positioned to create pathways out of poverty for hundreds of thousands of children worldwide, leveraging a strong value system and a call to be a force for good in all concerns of the world. If Notre Dame does not do this work, then who will?
To hear how Notre Dame can utilize its unique position to serve a world deeply in need, and how the GC-DWC plans to continue converging science and the global Catholic church to engender resilience in vulnerable children, please join us on November 9th, 2024 at 12:00pm—on-campus at the University of Notre Dame—for the panel conversation, Seeds of Compassion: Nurturing Early Childhood Development Globally in Catholic Communities. Learn more here.
