About The Project
Bridging the gap in longitudinal evidence on family migration and youth development.
Understanding Family Migration and Youth Development: FAMELO & FAMELO-FUN Studies
The FAMELO and FAMELO-FUN projects provide insights into the importance of internal and international family migration for children’s socio-emotional development, educational pathways, and transitions to adulthood.
Household migration often improves income that helps families support child health and education. However, it also creates new pressures on parents to support children’s development and education while managing the stress of separation.
Led by researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Penn State University, and UCLA — in collaboration with partners in Nepal, Mexico, and Mozambique — the projects follow children across multiple years to see how external shocks and family dynamics influence young people’s lives.
Research Objective
To examine how internal and international family migration shape children’s socio-emotional development, educational pathways, and transitions to adulthood across diverse global contexts.
Participant Focus
Following families as children grow and interviewing children themselves to understand their feelings about education, work, and family plans during parental migration.
Comparative Study
Collecting data across three focal settings—Nepal, Mexico, and Mozambique—to identify cross-contextual patterns in parenting and migration impacts.
Our Core Values
The principles that guide our research and commitment to understanding family dynamics across the globe.
Ethical Research
Adapting to new conditions on the ground to ensure interviews are completed safely and comply with local restrictions.
Scientific Excellence
Providing culturally and developmentally grounded measures of socio-emotional competence and human capital acquisition.
Policy Impact
Informing policy makers, caregivers, and educators about the challenges migration poses to children's rights and wellbeing.
Longitudinal Vision
The longitudinal design of FAMELO is key to understanding how migration history and ongoing migration shape children’s development over time. By following the same children across 6 years in Nepal, we capture critical transitions as they complete school and move into adulthood.
2015-2016
Pilot Phase
Designed across three settings to identify important constructs and culturally attuned measures.
2017-2018
Wave I
Interviews with 2000+ households in Nepal, Mexico, and Mozambique for children aged 5-17.
2021-2022
Wave II
Completed safely during the COVID-19 pandemic to track ongoing impacts and resilience.
2024
Wave III
Completed within the year.
Ongoing 2025/26
FAMELO-FUN
Following the same children in Nepal as they school, form families, and make migration decisions.