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  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306257.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306205.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306265.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306181.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A homeless man's bed is seen here in in a gym in a tensile structure converted to a shelter for the homeless, in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Homeless men here rely on food handouts donated by the charity L'Abbraccio (Italian for The Hug). L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306108.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A homeless man takes a meal donated by the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) here in in a gym in a tensile structure converted to a shelter for the homeless, in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306103.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306065.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306043.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305987.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) prepare hot meals for homeless people in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305893.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) unload the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305739.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait in his car in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306216.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306185.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306181.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306039.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305987.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52),  volunteer a volunteer and parking attendant out of work relying on the food handouts from of the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), carries the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305809.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) unload the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305759.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) unload the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305739.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait in his car in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306234.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait in his car in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306216.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306185.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306039.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306000.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito, (52) a volunteer and parking attendant out of work relying on the food handouts from of the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) ,smokes a cigarette after unloading the food donated by the food bank to the charity  in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundr
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305956.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52),  volunteer a volunteer and parking attendant out of work relying on the food handouts from of the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), carries the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305809.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) unload the food donated by the food bank at the headquarters of the charity in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305759.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A volunteer of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) prepares hot meals for homeless people in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305649.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306265.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306257.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Matteo Marzana, head of the the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait in his car in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306234.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306205.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A homeless man's bed is seen here in in a gym in a tensile structure converted to a shelter for the homeless, in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Homeless men here rely on food handouts donated by the charity L'Abbraccio (Italian for The Hug). L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306108.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A homeless man takes a meal donated by the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) here in in a gym in a tensile structure converted to a shelter for the homeless, in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306103.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306065.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Antonella Maresca, a 54 years old part-time cleaning lady and care giver now relying on food handouts from the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug), poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306043.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito (52), a parking attendant out of work and relying on the food handouts from the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) , poses for a portrait at the charity headquarters in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for t
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306000.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Carmine Esposito, (52) a volunteer and parking attendant out of work relying on the food handouts from of the  charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) ,smokes a cigarette after unloading the food donated by the food bank to the charity  in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
Carmine Esposito worked as a parking attendant in central Salerno. Many of his clients were foreign tourists, who used to stop in Salerno before driving to the nearby Amalfi Coast. He hasn’t made any money in more than two months and is now struggling to pay his €600 monthly rent. He relies on food handouts from L’Abbraccio. Although he worked full time, he was on a part time contract, a way for his employers to skimp on social-security payments. As a result, when his furlough benefits eventually come through, he expects to receive €500, far less than the €1,300 a month he used to make. “It is a serious problem. I need the money immediately,” said Mr. Esposito, who regularly sends money to his 25- year-old son, a college student. He is looking for new jobs, but the prospects are slim. “It was a struggle before. Just imagine what it’s like now,” he said.<br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundr
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305956.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Volunteers of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) prepare hot meals for homeless people in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305893.jpg
  • SALERNO, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: A volunteer of the charity "L'Abbraccio" (Italian for The Hug) prepares hot meals for homeless people in Salerno, Italy, on May 11th 2020. <br />
<br />
L'Abbraccio is  a charity which has focused on assisting the newly poor since the 2008 financial crisis.<br />
<br />
In less than two months, the number of families who have turned to L’Abbraccio to feed themselves has jumped from 160 families to over 500.<br />
<br />
“They are not people who live in extreme poverty, but people who have found themselves poor because of the economic crisis,” says the heady of the charity Matteo Marzana.  They include swathes of the population employed off the books and thus largely excluded from the state’s welfare safety net.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The coronavirus pandemic has precipitated one of the worst economic downturns in generations across the world. But few major economies are likely to suffer as much as Italy’s, or take longer to recover.<br />
The health emergency has already left hundreds of thousands of Italians unable to pay for their own food for the first time. Experts warn that the poverty crisis is only just beginning, and that many of those who abruptly plunged into poverty may never be able to lift themselves out of it – even once the pandemic is over. Italy, more than its Western European neighbors, is ill-prepared to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Its big problem is that its economy never really recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, leaving families poorer and the government much more indebted today than it was then.<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: ITPOOR
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M305649.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308189.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: The occupied building where Marilena Colantuono (37), unemployed and mother of three, lives, in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307462.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: A 4th grader is seen here online on the tablet of Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, during the last day of school, in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308415.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308317.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308284.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308248.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308192.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade, center) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen and his sister Ilaria plays with their dog Maya, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308085.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Marilena Colantuono (37), an unemployed mother of three children, looks out of the window of her occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307335.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Giorgio Colantuono (15), is seen here in the living room after attending his online school class from his mother's smartphone, in an occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307257.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Marilena Colantuono (37), an unemployed mother of three children, poses for a portrait in her occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307213.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Giorgio Colantuono (15), attends his online school class from his mother's smartphone in his room, which he shares with his younger sister and brother, in an occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307169.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: A classroom of the 1'st grade of secondary schoo of the "Eduardo De Filippo" school, of which only two students of a total of twelve attend the online classes, is seen here in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307110.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Patrizia Pica Ciamarra (46), who runs the local section of the NGO L'Albero della vita in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, leaves the local office in Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306918.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: The children's recreational room at the NGO L'Albero della vita is seen here in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306853.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: A public housing complex is seen here in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306829.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Giulia Improta (34), a mother of three, poses for a portrait in her apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 11th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306350.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308540_...jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308284_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308189_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308168_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade, center) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen and his sister Ilaria plays with their dog Maya, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308085_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher Giusi Amodio (44) explains the last lesson of the year , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307994_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Street art is seen here on a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307806_...jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308540.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308469.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308392.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308168.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher explains a math exercise , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308154.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher Giusi Amodio (44) explains the last lesson of the year , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307994.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher Giusi Amodio (44) explains the last lesson of the year , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307976.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen, in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307864.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Street art is seen here on a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307806.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Street art is seen here on a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307789.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: A view of Naples and Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307482.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: A view from an occupied building in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of  Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307414.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9), is seen here in the living room after attending his online school class from his mother's smartphone, in an occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307396.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Marilena Colantuono (37), an unemployed mother of three children, opens the curtain in her occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307312.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Marilena Colantuono (37), an unemployed mother of three children, poses for a portrait in her occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307226.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: Giorgio Colantuono (15), attends his online school class from his mother's smartphone in his room, which he shares with his younger sister and brother, in an occupied apartment in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307151.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020:  The playground of the "Eduardo De Filippo" primary and secondary school is seen here in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307136.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020:  The main hall of the "Eduardo De Filippo" primary and secondary school is seen here in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307127.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: (L) Concetta Stramacchia (55), the principle of the primary and seconday school "Eduardo De Filippo" in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, poses for a portrait in Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307031.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: (L) Concetta Stramacchia (55), the principle of the primary and seconday school "Eduardo De Filippo" in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, is seen here during an interview together in Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M307018.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: The playground of the primary and secondary school "Eduardo De Filippo" is seen here next to a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306963.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 12 MAY 2020: A view of the school "Euduardo De Filippo" in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of  Naples, Italy, on May 12th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200512_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306937.jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 11 MAY 2020: Giulia Improta (34), a mother of three, poses for a portrait in her apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 11th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200511_WSJ_NewPoor_7M306320.jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308469_...jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: A 4th grader is seen here online on the tablet of Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, during the last day of school, in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308415_...jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308392_...jpg
  • SANT'ANASTASIA, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Giusi Amodio (44), an elementary school teacher, teaches her last day of school online to 4th graders  with a tablet from her home in Sant'Anastasia, Italy, on May 29th 2020. <br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308317_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308248_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308192_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher explains a math exercise , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308154_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade, center) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen and his sister Ilaria plays with their dog Maya, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308112_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his teacher Giusi Amodio (44) explains the last lesson of the year , here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307976_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen, in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307864_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Street art is seen here on a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307789_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Street art is seen here on a public housing complex in Ponticelli, a district in the outskirts of Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M307789_...jpg
  • NAPLES, ITALY - 29 MAY 2020: Raffaele Giusti (9, 4th grade, center) attends his last day of school, logged in online with his mother's smartphone, as his mother Marilena Colantuono (37) looks at the screen and his sister Ilaria plays with their dog Maya, here in an occupied apartment in Naples, Italy, on May 29th 2020. Raffaele needs to share his mother's smartphone with his two older siblings for online classes, since the family cannot afford a computer or tablet.<br />
<br />
In Italy, a country ravaged by the coronavirus, there is a new casualty: Students. Many children from low-income families have effectively dropped out of school, say teachers and charity groups, the result of the prolonged, nation-wide school closure caused by the pandemic. In early March Italy became one of the first countries in the world to shut down all schools, forcing teachers to turn to remote learning. But many families have struggled with the shift, and many children have been left behind. Around 12% of school-age children don’t have a computer or a tablet at home, and parents are often unable or unwilling to help. The Covid dropouts are intensifying a problem that was already there. Even before the pandemic, Italy had one of the highest school dropout rates in Europe. And there is no solution in sight, since schools won’t reopen before September at the earliest. The problem is particularly acute among poor and marginalized communities in places such as Naples, where teenagers are easily lured into the ranks of organized crime syndicates. In one middle-school on the outskirts of the city, for instance, around 10% of students didn’t access online classes at all. Many others participate only occasionally. “I’ve never had this many kids not come to school,” says Barbara De Cerbo, the headmaster. “There is the fear that we’ll lose some of them for good.”<br />
<br />
CREDIT: Gianni Cipriano for The Wall Street Journal<br />
<br />
SLUG: DROPOUTS
    CIPG_20200529_WSJ-Dropouts_7M308112.jpg
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