Wales, United Kingdom

14-month-old Hannah-Lei and her family received a pushchair, a highchair and pack of educational books and toys through our Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play! programme.

Living in poverty can mean going without basic essentials, such as warm clothes or hot meals, or living in homes that are cold or damp. Growing up in poverty can also dramatically affect a child’s life chances.

Through our programme and campaigning in Wales, we work to tackle child poverty so that all children, whatever their background, have the chance to thrive and fulfil their potential.

Read On. Get On.

Being able to read well is key to unlocking a child’s full potential and one of the best routes out of poverty. But too many children in Wales still leave primary school behind in their literacy. Nearly one in four children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Wales are not reading well at age 11, compared to just under one in ten children from more advantaged backgrounds.

We must challenge this. Reading well is vital to giving our children a brighter future.

As a member of the Read On. Get On. campaign we are working hard to make sure that all children in Wales can read well at the age of 11 by 2025. At home, in schools and in our communities, we must help children to achieve their potential. We also need the government to invest in services that help our children to build all of the skills they need to thrive in later life.

Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play!

It directly provides household essentials, such as a child's bed, a cooker or educational books and toys to families who could not otherwise afford them.

We work closely with local partner organisations to ensure we reach the families that most need help. Since 2011, we have awarded over 3, 000 of these grants to families living in poverty in Wales.

Currently, grants are available for eligible families living in Cardiff, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Swansea.

Families and Schools Together

Four-year-old Isla and her mum Suzanne at a FAST follow-up session in Wales.

FAST brings children, parents, teachers and the community together. Weekly FAST sessions are designed to support children’s learning at home and help them to do better in school.

We’re currently running FAST sessions in more than 50 schools across Wales. Independent evaluations of the programme have shown that it helps improve children’s behaviour, builds stronger family relationships and also improves levels of concentration.

Travelling Ahead

Because they’re not always involved with mainstream services, many Gypsy and Traveller children don’t have the chance to make their voices heard.

We run a network of youth forums to give them a say about the issues that affect their lives. Here young Gypsies and Travellers in Wales can learn about their rights and discuss issues that are important to them, such as education, inequality and discrimination.

Journey of Hope

Our Journey of Hope programme aims to build children’s resilience and help them cope with stressful events. Through group sessions, it enables children to discuss difficult feelings and develop coping strategies in a supportive space.

Journey of Hope can help children develop stronger support networks and address bullying or difficult incidents. It can also build their confidence, self-esteem and aspirations, improving their ability to learn.