This summer, Toybox and our partners set out to listen to the voices that matter most - children themselves. Across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, 194 children aged 8–12 took part in our second annual wellbeing survey, sharing their hopes, challenges, and experiences. This builds on last year’s pilot, which reached 60 children in two countries.
What Did We Find?
Hope for the Future: A remarkable 80% of children told us they feel hopeful about their future. However, this figure was lower among children with disabilities, reminding us that there is still work to do to ensure every child feels optimistic about what lies ahead.
Education Access: 82% of children surveyed are attending school in a formal education system. For those not in school, the main barrier remains financial—school fees and lack of resources continue to keep children out of the classroom.
Living Conditions and Safety: 60% of children said they are satisfied with where they live, but only 52% feel safe in their area. For those who are unsatisfied, the main concerns are lack of hygiene and sanitation, safety issues, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and crime.
Health and Support: 71% of children feel healthy most of the time, and 68% can usually see a doctor or nurse when unwell. 74% have access to medication. When worried, 74% of children can turn to someone for support—most often their mother, siblings, or Toybox partner staff.
Overall Wellbeing: 72% rated their wellbeing as good or very good. Among children with disabilities, this figure was just 50%. Encouragingly, 77% of children said their wellbeing has improved over the past year, thanks to starting or progressing in school, receiving their birth certificate, learning about child rights, and gaining confidence.
What Does This Mean?
Reflecting on the findings in this survey, Toybox's Director of Impact and Programmes, Naomi Hall Opiyo, shares, "We are encouraged by these results. They show that our interventions—especially around access to education and health, and tranining in child rights and leadership skills are having a positive impact despite the daily challenges the children face.
But the survey also highlights the ongoing struggles many children face, often outside the control of Toybox projects: unsafe living environments, lack of shelter, violence, and substance abuse in their communities. These issues continue to impact children’s quality of life.
This survey reached only a small percentage of the children we support, but it gives us valuable insights into the differences across countries and regions. We are committed to working with our partners to address some of these findings and to keep listening to children’s voices as we plan our projects and interventions."
Pictured: Top of page: Children playing games at the Toybox supported Learning Centre in Kathmandu.
Bottom photo: Students from the Toybox supported education project in Addis Ababa participating in a World Environment Day activity.
