19 Photos of The Homes of Children Living in Poverty

Some live with their entire family in a single room, others have corrugated iron for walls or no walls at all. Despite their daily struggle in a world of poverty, these families view their homes with a strong sense of pride. Step inside.

02 Aug, 2017

Though some homes might appear cramped or uncomfortable at first glance, take a closer look. They are also places of learning, and dreaming, and laughing with family. Each child pictured is registered with Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program. Through their sponsor and the local church, they’re receiving the support they need to break free from poverty.

This is 14-year-old Salama’s home in Kenya

Kadzo lives on the Kenyan coast with her husband and 14 children. Their home is typical for the area: it has a dirt floor and mud walls. It's made up of two buildings: one is their kitchen, the other is where the family sleeps.

Three years ago, the family’s house collapsed in the middle of the night. Compassion and the local church provided immediate assistance by renting a house for the family and rebuilding their home. “I don’t know what would have happened if Salama was not in the [Compassion] project,” says Kadzo. “I am happy Salama is sponsored and doesn’t have to assist me in breaking rocks as the other less fortunate children do. She has the opportunity to concentrate on her studies and hopefully one day make us proud.”

10-year-old Lalita lives here in Thailand

Every night, Lalita helps round up the family’s chickens, putting them safely in woven baskets beneath their house to protect them from predators. Her family lives off the land on the northern Thailand/Myanmar border, growing enough crops and rice to eat but not enough to sell or make an income. Here, it’s common for children to drop out of school as soon as they’re old enough to help their parents work in the field.

Compassion child workers have begun teaching in the local school to improve the quality of the education. Lalita is the first generation to benefit from this new focus on education, and shows promise of being among the first children to attain their higher education.

Welcome to Ana and Thayna’s home in Brazil

Sisters Ana and Thayna live in a hillside community in southern Brazil. Typical houses are constructed with dirt floors, mud walls and tile roofs. The girls help keep the home tidy by sweeping outside with a broom made from leaves. They also help their mum wash the dishes in the river after meals.

These are typical homes in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Two families grin for portraits outside their homes in Boromo, southern Burkina Faso. Typical houses in the area are constructed with dirt floors, mud walls and tin or grass roofs.

Afi Toulassi shares her home with five others in Togo

10-year-old Afi lives with her parents and three of her seven siblings just outside of Lome, Togo’s capital. Typical homes in the region are built with concrete floors, brick walls and tin roofs. Afi shares a room with three of her siblings. If the weather is fine, her parents sleep outside.

Her dream is to become a doctor so she can help people get well. “When a member of my family is sick they can come to my hospital and I can help it.”

Ester Maria is proud of her home in Jakarta, Indonesia

Ester Maria washes the dishes in a corner of their home in Jakarta, Indonesia. Typical houses in the area are built of tile and have brick walls, but Ester’s is built from wood, tin and plastic. “We could not afford to hire people to build the house, so my husband built it with his own hands,” said Ester’s mum Tiromsina. “We are very proud of it.”

Step inside Leydy Alexandrea’s home in Ecuador

Leydy lives in the valley community of Eugenio Espejo in northern Ecuador. Typical homes are constructed of cement and have brick walls. Most adults in the area are unemployed, but some work as day labourers or subsistence farmers. After harvesting their corn, the family hangs it to dry from the roof of their home.

Bella Natalia’s home in Indonesia is more than bricks and mortar

When Bella Natalia was asked how her home could be improved, she said she’d like her dad to return. For mum Maria and her seven children, home in Indonesia is far more than bricks and mortar.

Homes do more than just putting a roof over someone’s head. They also provide stability, dignity, pride, health, physical safety and security. While Compassion is not in the specific business of building homes, we do intervene for the sake of a child’s development. Each year, Compassion rebuilds and repairs thousands of homes of the children in our Child Sponsorship Program. Learn more about how your one-off donation could help improve a child’s home.