According to the report commissioned in 2009 by UNICEF and the Djiboutian Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Social Affairs, nearly 70 per cent of children in Djibouti are deprived of at least one basic right – including the right to water and sanitation, information, nutrition, education and health.

Education is a major problem in Djibouti with under 30% of children attending school, much less for girls. There are also very few pre-school or infancy learning programs for children in Djibouti. 

For every ten children who survive childbirth in the country one will have died before his or her first birthday, and a further one will have died before their fifth birthday. Unemployment (running at over 60%) and poverty are rampant with nine out of every ten children in rural areas not even having a home to provide shelter.

Despite this there are currently no existing programs to sponsor a child in Djibouti. There are, however, some other charities who work with communities in Djibouti:

www.msf.org.uk
www.unicef.org
www.reprieve.org.uk

If you work with children in Djibouti tell us about your work here.