What can you do?

Nutrition is an issue that has deserved the attention and support from all responsible citizens, providing direct food assistance to the needy, and supplying a hot-meal to all primary school children. The structural deficit situation prevails in the agriculture sector thus limiting the food situation of families, namely rural families, with direct negative effects on children. Due to the poverty situation of a significant portion of the population, a high percentage of children (about 16%) present signs of chronic malnutrition. Cape Verde also registers a moderate lack of iodine and a high prevalence of iron-anaemia among pre-school children.

During the current decade the first priority in primary education is to improve education quality and effectiveness, by upgrading, extending and equipping the network of school infrastructures, student’s access to handbooks, teacher training, reduce mobility of qualified teachers, and improve teaching of sciences and math. One of the principal challenges for the education system in this decade is to get primary school students acquainted with computers and the new communication and information technologies.

Child labor in urban areas is increasing, thus reflecting to great extent the family survival strategy, due to insufficient income and the parents’ status as poor. The number of “street-children” is growing in urban centers, thus requiring timely and adequate intervention.

Drug use is already a problem with deep implications in the social tissue. Both drug trafficking and use have increased considerably since 1977, when the first cases were registered. The main drugs used are alcohol and tobacco, inhalants, tranquillisers, cocaine and heroine. Most drug addicts are between the ages of 15-30, though there have been sporadic cases of drug abuse among children under 15 years. The drug combat strategy has been based mainly on prevention and repression. The treatment and reinsertion aspects have met with great difficulties due to lack of infrastructures and human resources.

Children with disability are in especially difficult circumstances given the little resources available to the relevant public institutions and Associations. It’s imperative that advocates pursue the government to adopt a more active attitude and define an adequate strategy to implement the recently approved basic laws and to safeguard the rights of children with disability. Your support will help create awareness and improve conditions.

So what can you do? Get Involved!