After the great crisis of 2001, Argentina still has much to do.

Here are some important data about the social reality of childhood in Argentina (2010).

• 66% of children live in homes that have deficits of habitability.
• 27.9% of children have experienced hunger in the past year.
• 38.9% of children live in homes that are below the poverty line.
• 51.1% of children in the lowest social strata did not celebrate their birthday last year.
• 54.5% of children in the lowest social strata share a bed/mattress to sleep.
• 44.5% of children between 2 and 4 years old do not attend kindergarten or a child development center.
• 62% of children between 5 and 12 years old are not active, physically or in sports.
• 36% of adolescents don’t use the internet.

 Source: www.uca.edu.ar/observatorio

About the technical informality of poverty

"Even if the official data of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) claims that poverty affects 12% of residents of the country, some study centers estimate that the index is around 30%. The data that mainly explains the gap between both calculations is the evolution of prices for a basket of basic goods.  These values are used to define what basic income is required for a family to be considered out of reach of poverty. According to the controversial data released by the Government, with a monthly income of at least $1265, a married household with two children is not counted as poor."

Read the article in La Nación by clicking this link

"In February, the prices for basic food went up 2.9%. So, a typical Argentinian family, married with two children, needed 1,174.20 pesos per month to be able to acquire a basic food basket and not be considered indigent. With these values, announced yesterday by the Latin American Economic Research Foundation (FIEL), the cost of the food basket is 102% above the $580.14 that INDEC measured in the month of January for the same basket."

"If private statistics are taken, indigence would affect a minimum of 2.5 million people: five times the official figure."

Read the article in Clarín by clicking this link