New research suggests that a key cause of poverty is poor parents' lack of engagement with neonates and toddlers. Brazil is trying to change that by showing parents the importance of interacting meaningfully with young children through eye contact and activities.
The project requires workers to trek to even the most remote areas of the country to reach the poorest citizens:
Criança Feliz (Happy Child) is an ambitious new parent coaching program in Brazil. It teaches parents the importance of early childhood learning and development with the goal of fighting inequality. If it works, it might lift millions in Latin America's largest country out of poverty. The focus? Its youngest citizens: children between the ages of zero and three.