Children sustaining families: A look into the lives of working children in Addis Ababa

The Director of Nia Center for Children and Family Development (NiaCCFD), Dr. Emebet Mulugeta, an associate professor of psychology,made a presentation under the title, “Children sustaining families: A look into the lives of working children in Addis Ababa” at the East and Southern African Regional Symposium on Child Work/Labor organized by Young Lives in collaboration with Oak Foundation and Save the Children. The presentation covered the background on research participants(children), their life situation including working, earning, spending and saving. Italso highlighted the children’s role in supporting and sustaining families, and discussed the various challenged they face in their day-to-daylives. It was indicated in the presentation that though the children mentioned their life goals and aspirations, it would be difficult for them to attain their goals without a system and structure that provide support with the understanding and recognition of their agency.

Presentations from various African countries including Ethiopia and research findings from young lives research project were made, and discussion carried out on the policy implications and future directions. The symposium was attended by representatives from various relevant government, non-government,and international organizations.