I have had no luck establishing contact with professionals overseas or a podcast participant. However, I have viewed two podcasts from World Forum Foundation Radio.
I listened to Delfena Mitchell speak of the Liberty Children’s Home in Belize, Central America. Ms. Mitchell stated that Belize has the highest incidence of child abuse among Caribbean countries. The Liberty Children’s Home shelters 42 children who have suffered from physical and sexual abuse or who have been neglected or abandoned. Ms. Mitchell spoke of one child, in particular, who had been abused and seen his older sister abused. This child arrived at the home having not spoken for over a year. Through consistent interaction, schooling and medication, the child began speaking again while horseback riding. Today, everyone wants to hear what he has to say! I have contacted Ms. Mitchell but have not heard back from her yet. I would like to have a better understanding of what is being done to protect children in a country with pervasive violence towards children.
I also listened to Barnabas Ataala, Dean of Education at Uganda Martyrs University, speak about HIV/Aids and the importance of partnerships for children. He spoke of a child from his village being taken to the hospital for HIV/Aids diagnosis. Atalla discusses the importance of advocating for partnerships between parents, early childhood teachers and doctors. He emphasizes that parents do not always listen to teachers but they will listen to doctors. Thus, it is important for teachers and doctors to be on the same page. Partnerships are necessary so that the child’s needs can be addressed. As a result of this speaker’s passion, the World Forum Foundation established the “Voices for Hope” program which addresses global concerns around HIV/Aids.
In reviewing Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s website, I chose to read about India. I learned that India has one of the highest poverty levels in the world, second only to China. Over a 50 year period, India has made progress but poverty still dominates rural society. Life for India’s children is extremely difficult. “Almost half of all children (about 62 million) under the age of five are malnourished and 34 percent of newborns are significantly underweight” (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre, n.d., para. 12). While school attendance is improving, India has the highest number of working children in the world. Females continue to struggle more than males. “The cycle of disadvantage starts at birth and continues through childhood to motherhood and the next generation” (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre, n.d., para. 13).
Poverty has always been something that I knew about but did not consider unless a situation arose that was directly related. What I have learned is that there are a vast number of resources that speak to the detrimental factors on children, families and society worldwide. I am much more able to carry on an intelligent conversation about poverty now than I was a week ago! I feel compelled to commit to informing others of the effects of poverty; especially when I am teaching. I have always discussed it but now will engage my students in further study to increase their understanding.
Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre. (n.d.). Country Overviews. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo
It is interesting that India is second to China in poverty levels because the China page mentioned that they were doing better and that had been drastically reduced. It must still be n a worse state than other countries according to your post.
ReplyDeleteTeri:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing information about Uganda and the HIV/AIDS health crisis. It is devastating to their children and families. It has now been declared a security crisis for Uganda. There is more available about programs and priorities in their national Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (Uganda AIDS Commission, 2011). It is part of the plan to eradicate poverty (Uganda AIDS Commission, 2011).
Uganda AIDS Commission, 2011). Country response [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.aidsuganda.org/country_response.html.
Teri, the effects of poverty is alarming when you think of all the children and families. Thank you for the information from the podcast. Good luck with your future contacts.
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