There are many social, cultural, religious and economic reasons why parents in the developing world have large families. For example:

• Access to contraception and education on family planning is often limited
• There are often no government provided pensions or social security benefits, so parents must rely on their children to care for them in their old age
• Because child mortality rates in the developing world are so high, parents will often have many children in the hope that some will survive to provide that support
• The need for extra labour in largely agricultural societies
• A cultural expectation to have many children
• A preference for boys over girls

You can help families living in poverty by:

• Sponsoring a child
• Making a donation