The impact of Oportunidades on school participation and child labour

This paper attempts to shed new light on the impact of Oportunidades on the way children combine work and school. We find that Oportunidades strongly increased the probability of being “in school only” (i.e. in school but not in work). The program succeeded not only in encouraging children who would otherwise have dropped out to stay in school, but also in encouraging a substantial share of the children who would otherwise have continued working without attending school to re-enroll. We also find some evidence for spillover effects, as boys from ineligible households reduced their participation in work as a result of the program. The impact of Oportunidades on school participation and child labour