New Ethiopian Centre for Child Research launched

Young Lives partner, The Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) has established the Ethiopian Centre for Child Research (ECCR) in partnership with UNICEF Ethiopia and Addis Ababa University. The ECCR is inspired by the collaborative work of EDRI and Young Lives in Ethiopia as well as the multi-agency Child Research and Practice Forum (CRPF).

The mission of the ECCR is to generate multidisciplinary child-focused research and evidence on policy and practice to inform decision and enhance programmatic capacity concerning the development, equity, wellbeing and protection for children in Ethiopia.

Located within the EDRI, ECCR is coordinated by a small team and overseen by a multi-stakeholder advisory board which includes: Addis Ababa University, Central Statistical Agency, EDRI, Education Strategy Centre, Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Planning Commission, UNICEF and Young Lives. It's Director is Yisak Tafere, who will also continue to be lead qualitative researcher with Young Lives in Ethiopia.

Young Lives Country Director Alula Pankhurst said

"The ECCR is a timely initiative and a fitting legacy for Young Lives. The Centre is already carrying out important policy relevant research on children and youth and hopefully will enable us to follow the Young Lives children into adulthood and to better understand key issues relating to youth training and employment, household formation, young women's empowerment and the transmission and means of breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty." 

 Current Research Activities 

• Dynamics of Multidimensional Wellbeing of Children in Ethiopia: Evidence using longitudinal data on children from Young Lives study (2002-2013)
• Urbanization Trends and Urban Child Poverty and Vulnerabilities in Ethiopia
• Monetary assessment of Child poverty
• Comparing Child Poverty in Pastoralist and non-Pastoralist areas with a focus on education
• Understanding Children’s Labour in Ethiopia

The ECCR is currently establishing partnerships and research collaborations with potential researchers and research institutes nationally and globally with initial funding support from UNICEF Ethiopia.