From listening to the podcast with
Dr. Grace, according to census I learned that the US has the highest percentage
of poverty among children. Poverty sucks the life out of people and causes them
to have no energy. Poverty can come in many forms now. It no longer represents
those who have no jobs or are homeless. Food instability is a term among
families with no food in the home due to having to pay bills. There are even
those in poverty who work several jobs but are only working low paying jobs and
are barely making ends meet. As EC professionals, it is important for us to
really get to know our communities. It is up to us to dedicate and invest our
time to get to know the children and their families because we will never know
what goes on behind closed doors. As we get to know the children and their
families, we can help better serve them to ensure greater success within the
child. (Laureate Ed, 2011)
Children of Egypt of all ages
generally indicate that children are more likely to view poverty in
non-monetary terms than their parents and interestingly define poverty along
with the many dimensions of social exclusion and as obstructions of their
rights as children. Children defined poverty as having parents who are
unemployed and lacking income; living in a mud house; not being able to go to
school or hospital when sick; being separated from friends; and not being given
the right to be heard and participate in decision making. Children under the
age of 18 are more than one-third of Egypt’s population. 12.3 percent are
children under 5 years. Egypt’s economic and social indicators have improved
significantly. However, economic growth has not yet translated into sustainable
improvement of Egyptians’ well-being, and poverty persists. The Government has
adopted several important measures aimed at accelerating economic growth,
creating job opportunities and better targeting of social safety nets. (UNICEF, 2010)
References
UNICEF. (2010). Child Poverty and Disparities in
Egypt: Building the . Cairo: UNICEF/Egypt2005/Pirozzi.
Laureate Education, Inc.
(Executive Producer). (2011). Issues and trends in the early childhood field:
The effects of poverty on the early childhood community.
Angel, thank you for sharing information about Egypt. The more I read about poverty in many places, the more I come to realize that economic growth of a country is not a guarantee that poverty is curbed. In fact, economic growth could indicate the widening gap between social classes that pushes the poor to be even poorer.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Pamela, you are so right about economic growth. It is not guaranteed to help those in poverty unless they can get their basic needs met through good quality programs.
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ReplyDeleteGreat post Angel!
ReplyDeleteIt truly is sad that the US is leading in poverty in children. With the amount of resources available, no child should be in need of the basic necessities. What has amused me is the fact that all the countries that we are researching, it seems as though poverty is the norm. The children and their families are use to living in these conditions...that's sad.