DEDICATED MISSION: Martin Woodhead, team leader (Qualitative Research), Oxford University, speaking at the launch of `Young Lives' project at SPMVV, Tirupati on Tuesday. — Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

TIRUPATI: A solemn call for committed and dedicated work to better the lives of children marked the national launch of the qualitative study of `Young Lives', an international study of childhood poverty, here on Tuesday. The project, funded by UK Government's Department For International Development (DFID), seeks to trace the lives and trajectories of 12,000 children living in poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over a period of fifteen years (2000-2015). The launch heralds a national-level partnership between Centre for Economic and Social Sciences, Save the Children India, Sri Padmavathi Women's University (SPMVV), Tirupati and other premier research, academic and policy-making institutions in these four countries.

"After completing the quantitative study, which included surveying of 3,000 children in each

country, their primary caregivers and members of the communities in which they live, the project has now come to the stage of qualitative study", explained Martin Woodhead, team leader (qualitative research) at Oxford University, UK.

Changing nature

In his address at the launch, he said that the qualitative part was meant to study the changing nature of childhood poverty, taking into consideration issues like the pattern of usage of health and education services by children and their parents, the perceptions and aspirations of the children, etc. The children had been divided into two groups, 6-17 months old and 7.5 - 8.5 years old for better focus. He called `Young Lives' as a research laboratory and a network of collaborating institutions and individuals equipped with the wealth of professional knowledge and experience, all working for the betterment of the lives of children. SPMVV Vice-Chancellor Veena Noble Dass gave a presentation on her university and expressed happiness over its association with the

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