Following three decades of progress, improvements in the welfare of children and other vulnerable groups worldwide began to falter in the mid-1970s. World recession, and in particular the debt crisis in Latin America and African famine, have seriously affected economic development programs in less developed countries. At the same time, however, large-scale health programs have had a noticeable impact. This study both illustrates the extent of the current crisis and points to the successes to show how welfare policies can—and must—become part of national planning even when the economy is in crisis.