The Gallery
All text and photographs copyright of Our Forgotten Children
Of 21 economically advanced countries, the United Kingdom is at the bottom.
Not only were British children ranked 'worst off in the developed world', they also - according to the UNICEF survey - felt worse off. Unhappy with family relationships and friends, and more likely to feel disenfranchised, left out.
The UK is one of the world's most prosperous per-capita nations, so this can hardly be due to a lack of resources. The problem stems from Britain's centuries-old class system - which still dictates a child's expectations at birth.
“If you're born into the working class and live on a council estate, you'll get a council estate education” says Lynsey Hansey, author of the book Estates. An education that ends at fifteen, with little chance of employment.
Britain has one of the biggest concentrations of council housing estates in the world - rivalling even China and the former Soviet union.
But it's not just bricks and mortar that divide council house kids from the rest of the world. They develop a wall in their minds. According to Hansey, “British children are indoctrinated with the idea that they shouldn't hope for too much.”
Great Britain
On a playground under a threatening sky, five year-old Felix watches - as his best friend Max, also five, looms in for a strike at goal.
Michaelchurch Escley sits alone in the foothills of the famous Black Mountains. One of five primary schools in Herefordshire's 'Golden Valley', it prides itself on teaching its students the values of truth, sensitivity and compassion for others.
“We may be remotely situated,” says Head Teacher Deborah Barker, “but that doesn't mean we can't do our bit for the world at large.”
To this end, the school, along with its secondary school counterpart, has formed an ongoing relationship with Naisoya Primary School in Norok, Kenya. “We raise funds for them to buy things they need - like windows, and water wells.”
A pity it's not like this everywhere in the UK. According to a UNICEF survey, Britain's children suffer greater deprivation, worse relationships with their parents, and are exposed to more risk from alcohol, drugs and unsafe sex than those in any other wealthy country in the world.