While the Ethiopian national emergency and food security programmes support farmers hit by area-wide shocks such as crop failure brought about by drought, insects and pests, idiosyncratic shocks such as illness and death of household member, loss of assets and separation of family or divorce are not covered by any of the current programmes. In the absence of social assistance programmes to support vulnerable households, these idiosyncratic shocks may lead to serious malnutrition among poor children.

Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this paper examines the changing educational and occupational aspirations and educational achievements of children living in poor communities in Ethiopia. The results suggest that children had high aspirations at an earlier age but that these changed later, with poverty rarely influencing their earlier aspirations but having a strong impact later on. Children with high educational achievement, mostly urban children and some rural girls, maintained their high ambitions.