Impact of Drought on Children’s Educational Outcomes (with Dr. Shatakshee Dhongde)

Droughts have become more frequent and more intense in countries across the world. In this study, we assess the impact of droughts on children’s well-being. We combine a rich panel data set on 2000 school-aged children with monthly rainfall data in Ethiopia between 2009 and 2017. We find that droughts decrease the probability that a child will remain enrolled in school by more than 36%. Among children who remain enrolled, droughts adversely affect their grade progression. These children suffered from high food insecurity. Girls, in particular, were at a greater risk of being malnourished and stunted. With the onset of a drought, children spent more time on paid activities and less time on sleep. Overall droughts had a significant negative impact on children’s overall well-being.