expands on the Why Children Stay Report conducted in 2018. It was conducted to gain a stronger understanding of patterns and differences of migratory decision-making across vastly different contexts.

Phase II research focused on children from North Central America (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala) which is a very different context to the African countries studied in Phase I. North Central America (NCA) is a region known for a high level of internal and cross border migration. Children in NCA are particularly vulnerable to both poverty and violence, as a result of gangs, economic instability and poor governance. While placing children’s voices at the heart of the conversation, Phase II investigates whether there are commonalities or differences that would deepen our understanding of why children stay.

This material is a part of the North Central America Migration Crisis and Save the Children Response Collection.

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Far more children choose to remain within, or close to, communities featuring high rates of migration, rather than to leave – yet we know surprisingly little about their reasons for doing so. This report addresses this critical gap in our knowledge by examining the motivations and factors encouraging African children and youth to stay in their communities of origin.

The study involved an extensive literature review and primary data collection driven by the participatory voices and experiences of 120 children, gathered across 3 countries featuring high rates of internal and outward child migration: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Zambia. It was designed and produced by Save the Children InternationaI’s Migration and Displaceme