This week we are studying the effects of poverty on children and families, both in the US and abroad. According to the Children's Defense Fund website, there are 15 million children living in poverty in the US. Ironically, they all live in a working household. In the country of Kyrgyzstan of the former Soviet Union, the poverty rates have fluctuated since they sought their independence from the union in 1991. They have gone from 32.9 percent of the population living below the poverty line in 1991 to 60 percent in the mid 1990's, to the now still shocking rate of 47 percent. Proportionately, young children are experiencing higher rates of poverty and extreme poverty. Children are entering the workforce in the areas of agriculture, selling in markets, and domestic service. "Recent research estimate that approximately 24 per cent of children work either full or part time, similarly since transition there are now homeless or 'street' children in Kyrgyzstan's cities, and some reports of child prostitution and trafficking (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre)." I think the last portion of the quote is so alarming. While I understand that it happens more often and in many other countries, it is disturbing that one would view a child as a commodity rather than a valuable asset to society. Another insight from the information I gathered about this country is that they are experiencing lower levels of education than other countries. The use of kindergartens dropped to 6 percent (from 30 percent) in 2001, after 10 years of economic upheaval. This fact alone is a key predictor of troubling times ahead for these children as they enter adulthood. The country is working to address these issues, but as any struggling country, it is a very slow process.
I traveled to Russia and the Ukraine in 1992, just after the fall of the union, and things were bleak then. I was only 18 so I was not fully aware of the implications of the disruption of the government's systems and processes for citizens and families. What I do remember is that after a home visit in a very small town in the Ukraine, we went with the host family's daughter to the market to buy a thank you gift for her and her family. We stopped at a flower market and asked what kind of flowers her mother liked. She picked daisies so we proceeded to gather a bunch of them for her. The daughter stopped us after picking 6 or 7 and said it would be too much money if we purchased more. I don't recall what the price was in rubies, but it was equivalent to about 80 cents! That is an experience I will never forget.
I am still waiting to hear from my international contacts. In the mean time, I have been listening to World Forum Radio and have enjoyed the short stories of success and the experiences they have had. Susan Lyon shares about her journey to her work with the Innovative Teacher Project she launched in 1994 in San Francisco. As a teacher she worked with a boy on a spelling list and she was trying to help him with the word "city". She described it for him and when she eventually told him what it was, he responded with "That's a small for a big place." It was this simplicity of thinking that led her to study the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching, where there is a progressive image of the child, the child has some control over their learning, and they learn primarily through sensorial experiences. Today, she leads the Innovative Teacher Project, which is a network of schools that share environments and take part in round table discussions about processes and practices. There are both public and private schools that participate in the project and teachers come to use it for professional development. One of the greatest impacts she has found is that she can create and encourage quality, even in a public school setting.
Resources:
www.childrensdefensefund.org
www.childhoodpoverty.org
http://worldforumfoundation.org
No comments:
Post a Comment