Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

The Children in Adversity Project at the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues is stewarding knowledge, partnerships, and reflection at a time of unprecedented changes in U.S. foreign assistance.

Led by former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) experts with decades of global experience, we engage local leaders, partner with young people, amplify the voices of persons with lived experience, and work across sectors to reimagine support for children, youth, and families in today’s complex global environment. We take a life cycle approach to children and youth, recognizing that young people have multidimensional needs at every age and stage of life, from birth to their transition to adulthood.

“A promising future belongs to those nations that invest wisely in their children.”
— U.S. Government Action Plan for Children in Adversity, 2012

The Children in Adversity Legacy

In 2005, the U.S. Congress passed the Assistance to Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act. The legislation required an explicit, coordinated, and comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable children globally, laying the foundation for the whole-of-government legislative framework, strategic approach, and coordination architecture led by USAID over the past 20 years. Three main pillars have guided this whole-of-government approach across multiple administrations and strategies:

1. ​Build Strong Beginnings: Promoting nurturing care and early childhood development—from pregnancy to age 8—to give all children a strong start in life.
2. Support Families to Thrive: Ensuring children, especially those at risk of separation, grow up in loving, permanent, and protective family environments.
3. Protect Children from Violence: Preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, and neglect through evidence-based, community-driven programming.

Our Goals

The Children in Adversity Project aims to:

• Document and preserve lessons learned from over 30 years of U.S. government leadership and investment
• Convene diverse stakeholders to consider new paths for local leadership and global solidarity
• Engage and elevate young people as thought partners
  

What’s Ahead

In the face of radical changes to U.S. foreign assistance, there is a pressing need for timely analysis, information sharing, community building, and strategic engagement among partners.

In the coming months, the collaborative will reflect on lessons from decades of U.S. leadership on foreign assistance for children, elevate perspectives from the field, and examine the implications of recent changes across a range of key issues, including care reform, violence against children, child labor, and positive youth development. Together, these efforts will contribute to a broader conversation on how best to sustain and strengthen support for children and youth in adversity.

How to Get Involved

We connect with a wide range of stakeholders committed to advancing children’s development, care, and protection globally. Please reach out to us through globalchildren@georgetown.edu and join our mailing list to stay informed of future events and resources.