Unfortunately I have not established effective communication from the professionals I have email, so I studied the link http://www.childhoodpoverty.org as assigned.
The three insights that I gained from this websites are a little overwhelming. For example, “Over 600 million children world-wide live in absolute poverty - an estimated 1 in 4” (online website). This is extremely frightening to me. Then I ask myself how can we as a society help combat this serious issue? I barely finished the first paragraph before I found another astonishing statistic, “As one of the most powerless groups in society, children often bear the physical and emotional costs of poverty” (online website). This article also brings to light that poor children often raise poor children and the cycle can continue for generations.
Fortunately this website offered some light at the end of the tunnel and has like many similar organization decided to help through:
Research and policy to make a differenceThe Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre is a collaborative research and policy programme which involves Save the Children, the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) and partners in China, India, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Running from 2001 to 2005, it aims to contribute to global poverty reduction efforts by:
• Deepening understanding of the main causes of childhood poverty and poverty cycles, and increasing knowledge of effective strategies to tackle them in different contexts
• Examining economic and social factors at different levels - international, national and local - which contribute to poverty in childhood
• Informing effective policy to end childhood poverty, communicating research findings to policy makers, practitioners and advocates
• Raising the profile of childhood poverty issues and increasing commitment to tackling them through anti-poverty policy and action.
Hi Elizabeth-
ReplyDeleteI read the first part of your blog and was struck by the number 600 million. It is so overwhelming to me and I agree with you that it is a serious issue and the fact that is a cycle is both frustrating and alarming.
I found the CHIP website very informative and liked that they offered specific information on various countries. In my post I shared a story from when I was in Russia and a trip to the flower market that was very eye-opening!
Thanks for posting!
Katherine
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI have found the statement to be true about poor children often raising poor children, and the cycle continues throughout generation. That's why I feel that we, as educators and advocates, need to obtain more knowledge and understanding of available resources and organizations that can help break this cycle. Because you are raised as a poor child, don't mean you should remain poor. We have the power to educate ourselves and be successful in life. That's why I decided to go back to college to obtain my bachelor's degree, and now I am working on my master's degree. I feel like if I can do it, I can talk to children and their families to help encourage them to do better in life.
Your blog this week sounds a lot like my own. I, too, was not able to connect with other professionals. As I studied the websites on poverty, I was struck by the same statistics you mentioned. It does feel very overwhelming to think that 600 million people live in poverty. Wow, where do you start when dealing with such a large number? I try to focus on what I can do to help the children I come into contact with. I teach 5th grade, so I focus on the students in my classroom who I feel are in poverty situations. I donate to the local programs through my community and school to help these children. I also try to provide extra support and love so that they know that I care about them. It is such a huge issue, but we must start somewhere.
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