Growing Up in the City

Education, survival, health and medical care for urban children.

Children who work in cities and towns to earn money or to help their families. Common jobs include street selling, market stalls, domestic help, small workshops and waste recycling. Many live in crowded or informal housing, where clean water, toilets and clinics can be hard to reach.

1. 1Daily income is often small, irregular and easily disrupted by illness, price rises or job loss
2. 2A child's small earnings can help a household pay for food, rent or transport
3. 3Families cope by borrowing, sharing housing and relying on neighbours and informal networks
4. 4With weak social protection, many households have no safety net, so child work becomes a survival step

1. 1Early morningWork often starts before school hours, or school is skipped altogether
2. 2MiddayLong hours in heat, dust or traffic, with quick and irregular meals
3. 3AfternoonEarnings go to the family, and play and rest get squeezed out
4. 4NightCrowded housing and broken sleep, so tiredness carries into the next day

Barriers: - No birth registration or ID papers - Costs of visits and medicine that families cannot cover - Clinics far away or open only during working hours - Fear of being reported, or losing a day's pay Practical fixes: - Free or low-cost, child-friendly clinics - Vaccination drives that reach streets and settlements - School-based health checks and nutrition support - Emergency care that does not require papers

Children belong in school, not in labour. Protect children, support families, and make health care and education reachable in every neighbourhood.