When hearing the word poverty, some people may think of a third-world country like Africa, where many children and adults starve every day. While this is tragic and true, the reality is that poverty can exist in our hometowns too.
Children at Risk is a nonprofit that is “dedicated to understanding and addressing the root causes of child poverty and inequality”. The organization was founded in Houston in 1989 and has since grown throughout Texas. Other than trying to end child poverty, research is also conducted, with the focus on finding the cause behind poverty. Researchers from Children at Risk want to know specifically how and why child poverty occurred. In the beginning, they noticed that there wasn’t much data on poverty in children, thus they wanted to change this.
Besides research on child poverty, they handle other social issues as well. Things such as family cooperation, human trafficking, health and healthy eating, immigration into the United States, education, and parenting. Obviously, without the necessary food, children cannot grow and can quickly become malnourished. This is a huge reason so many children in poverty die. According to the Children at Risk’s website, “Early gaps in a child’s fundamental health needs have proven to have long-term consequences for health, educational attainment, and economic security later in life. Children at Risk’s Center for Child Health Research & Policy (CCHRP) strives to improve the health of all children through collaboration, policy, research, and education.” Children at Risk aims to provide a safe haven for all children by providing education, food, care, and other resources.
Despite the name, Children at Risk does help more than just youth. They studied the effects of Hurricane Harvey on Texas and collaborated with other organizations to help people affected and cleaning up the area. According to their website, they advocate for future policies that will help children if another storm happens in the Texas area. On top of researching and advocating, they also provide education to the community. On the Hurricane Harvey section of the Children at Risk website, you can see annual updates on how the children are doing and how they are coping years after the hurricane.
Children at Risk acts as a voice for the children when no one else will listen to them. They are passionate about children and it shows through their work. They work together with other organizations in order to bring needy children the care they need in the Dallas area. They have an option on the website for the community to support the cause.