Outside The Box Worldwide is a US based 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit organization that aims to combat poverty and expand opportunities for underprivileged communities around the world.

We believe that sustainable impact starts with local leadership, that’s why we empower the youth by helping them overcome obstacles caused by poverty. We provide them with basic necessities and fundamental tools such as education, mentorship and career development.

The Problem

Today more than 700 million people live in extreme poverty. Children are disproportionately affected. Despite comprising one third of the global population, they represent half of those struggling to survive on less than $1.90 a day.

Children who grow up impoverished often lack the food, sanitation, shelter, health care and education they need to survive and thrive. Across the world, about 1 billion children are multidimensionally poor, meaning they lack necessities as basic as nutrition or clean water.

An estimated 356 million children live in extreme poverty.

Worldwide, the poorest children are twice as likely to die in childhood than their wealthier peers. For those growing up in humanitarian crises, the risks of deprivation and exclusion surge. Even in the world’s richest countries, one in seven children still live in poverty. Extreme poverty is largely concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, roughly 40% of children in Africa under the age 18 are at risk of falling into poverty.

No matter where they are, children who grow up impoverished suffer from poor living standards, develop fewer skills for the workforce, and earn lower wages as adults.

Yet, only a limited number of Governments have set the elimination of child poverty as a national priority.

Many youth are ill-prepared to secure decent work and are vulnerable to hazardous labor due to low school completion rates; inadequate formal or vocational training opportunities; insufficient technical and/or soft skills; and lack of entrepreneurial skills needed to identify local market opportunities; negative perceptions about youth; and pervasive poverty.

Although agriculture is the largest area of employment in most impoverished countries, youth often see farming as a “last resort.” Moreover, youth are not generally positioned to take advantage of agribusiness opportunities along the value chain. The informal sector meanwhile employs more than half of the non-agricultural labor force, but is plagued by low productivity.