Single mothers living in poverty face numerous challenges raising their children. Their environs, limited free time, and difficulties negotiating daily life are obstacles that programmes attempt to circumvent by helping their children break free from the cycle of poverty. These issues are discussed in literature on the importance of increasing…

This article reports on the effect of a community-based social support programme offered through a government-linked centre that works on the resilience of children of families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Purposive sampling was used to select four parents (mothers) and nine school-going children (N = 13) who all benefit from and attend a…

These "Stories From the Field" describe five Wallace-funded programs working to expand learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children, so they can benefit from the types of opportunities their wealthier counterparts have access to, from homework help to swimming classes. The report details each program's approach, successes and…

One of the best ways to avoid being poor as an adult is to obtain a good education. Individuals with higher academic achievement and more years of schooling earn more than those with lower levels of human capital. This is not surprising given that we believe that schooling makes people more productive, allowing them to command higher wages in the…

This paper discusses home visiting programs for low income parents and infants and describes five such programs known collectively as the Child Survival/Fair Start (CS/FS) projects, funded by the Ford Foundation. It describes a conceptual model which links risk factors and intervention activities to effects on mothers and children and explains how…

The effects of literacy and livelihood programs on female learners' participation in literacy were examined through case studies of groups of women who participated in four literacy and income-earning projects in Kenya. Data were collected through focus group discussions and a questionnaire. The four programs were started between 1968 and 1999 and…