Poverty

A very good friend of mine grew up in poverty. Her father abandoned her family when she was quite young. She remembers living in a milk house along with her mother and three sisters because they couldn’t afford to rent an apartment. The family received assistance from the local Children and Youth program such as teaching her mother about good nutrition. My friend became pregnant at the age of 15. Today she understands that getting pregnant was a way out of her situation. She was a very good mother considering that she had two children before she was 17. (I tease her that she and her oldest daughter are the same age.) Her children are both very successful college graduates with families of their own. While raising her children, my friend put herself through nursing school. I’m always impressed that my friend is very disciplined and goal oriented. She has traveled around the world. She enjoys a good life and is someone I can count on in any situation.
I have a special affinity to Italy because it is part of my heritage. It was very interesting to discover Italy is one of the top-ranking nations for early childhood education services (babyzone). The Italians have had a profound influence on early childhood education from Montessori to the more recent Reggio Emilia approach (Early Learning in Italy, 2008). I was not familiar with the Reggio approach and learned that it is named for a small city in Northern Italy. The theme of the Reggio schools is letting children lead. In 1991, Newsweek named the Reggio schools among the best preschools in the world (Early Learning in Italy, 2008).
Although Italy is noted for excellence in early childhood education, the country is not without problems. With Italy’s free, intensive education system, essentially free child healthcare, and paid family leave that enables a parent to stay at home during a child’s first year of life, a number of Italian children experience their share of problems, including poverty, unpleasant divorces, and child abuse (Italy Social Problems). The southern region of Italy has the biggest poverty risk, especially amongst families with children and additional adults. The most vulnerable of all children are those residing with single mothers, where unemployment is particularly high and the risk of poverty is approximately 64 - 66% (Italy Social Problems). A major obstacle in combating child poverty within Italy is its inadequate social welfare system. In 2000, (only) 3.4% of national expenditures were used toward social protection for children and families (Italy Social Problems).
Child abuse is a worldwide problem and exists in Italy. Efforts have been made to combat it. A national commission was established in 1997, which aimed to prevent inadequacies in reporting abuse, and thus control this visible problem . The inadequacy in reporting was the numbers of abused were not reported, only the offender (Italy Social Problems). A program called Neutral Space was set up by Milan council in 1993 with the intent to create a safe place where children and parents can reunite with the aid of social workers (Italy Social Problems).

References:

Italy Social Problems. Retrieved from: http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/kids04/italy/_jfarhoum/SocialProblems.html

Early Learning in Italy, (June 4, 2008). Child development news and resources for professionals and parents. Retrieved from: http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/blog/?p=16

Early Childhood Education Around the World. babyzone. Retrieved from: http://www.babyzone.com/toddler/toddler_development/early_education/article/internatio…

Nutrition/Malnutrition

Nutrition is meaningful to me because it is one of our basic needs: food , clothing and shelter. Having raised four children, I spent a lot of time and money on groceries. I am very health conscious and have always taken vitamin and mineral supplements. When my children were young I had a cookbook entitled, “Feed Me, I’m Yours”. When I hear about hunger in our country as well as worldwide, I just want to insist, “feed them, they’re ours”!!
In our readings we learned the importance of fat for brain development and that good nutrition and good health are directly related. As we learn about the development of children, the underlying factor is that mother and baby/child maintain a “healthy” diet resulting in the “norms“ for development such as those used on growth charts. During our last course we learned how the brain reacts to malnutrition. An article on nutrition by The World Bank reiterated the brain’s reaction: In the area of cognitive development, when there isn’t enough food, the body has to make a decision about how to invest the limited foodstuffs available. Survival comes first. Growth comes second. Learning comes last (The World Bank Group, 2011).
Malnutrition or under nutrition indicates a lack of some or all nutritional elements such as protein and vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, iron and iodine (World Hunger Education Service, 2011). Under nutrition impairs behavioral development causing delays in physical growth and motor development. The effects on cognitive development result in lower IQ’s by 15 points (severely malnutrition). Children experience a greater degree of behavioral problems and deficient social skills, decreased attention, deficient learning, and lower educational achievement (The World Bank Group, 2011). Children are the most visible victims of under nutrition. Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year. Under nutrition magnifies the effect of every disease, including measles and malaria (World Hunger Education Service, 2011).
Of the 925 million hungry people in 2010, 239 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Hunger Education Service, 2011). One in every three African children born suffers from malnutrition. More than half a million African children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which cripples young immune systems. Well over half of sub-Saharan children under five do not have enough iron to support a healthy lifestyle. (Health of African Children). Poverty is the principle cause of hunger. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people in extreme poverty has increased (World Hunger Education Service, 2011).
It appears that poverty, hunger, economic systems and politics are all a part of the cause of under nutrition. Each effects the other in ways that seems to be a cycle. Poverty causes hunger, hunger causes poverty. Economic systems and politics are viewed as means to over come poverty, economic systems and politics perpetuate poverty. There are many reasons for malnutrition. In developing countries the effect of HIV/AIDS can not be ignored as a contributing factor. For me, more important that analyzing the cause of malnutrition is knowing interventions can be effective, especially early in development. Strong evidence suggests that the earlier children begin benefiting from nutrition interventions the greater the improvement on behavioral development. Long-term studies indicate that nutrition interventions aimed at preschool children in the first few years of life lead to measurable improvements in adolescence and adulthood (The World Bank Group, 2011).
I believe education is a key element in helping children living in poverty without enough to eat. Awareness and avenues to provide assistance are very important. As a future undergraduate educator I am cognizant of the importance of imparting knowledge about world hunger, the causes and effects and the importance of advocating for change.

References:

Early Child Development - Nutrition, The World Bank Group, 2011. Retrieved from: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXXTCY/EXTECD/0,,contentM…

2011 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics, World hunger Education Service, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/worl%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm

Health of African Children. Retrieved from: http://senweb.lr.kl2.nj.us/Library/class%20prjects/Stapleford/Children45/child%20health%20lauren.htm

Giving Birth

Giving birth to four children provides me with many memories. Although all my children’s births were memorable, my first and last were the most difficult. I’m going to tell you about my first childbirth experience. I was married for seven years and researched and planned to give my baby the very best start in life. I quit smoking a year before conceiving and was in very good physical shape. While pregnant I maintained a healthy diet, except for satisfying an extreme craving for ice cream. In preparation for delivery I chose a hospital that had a neonatal unit, just to be on the safe side. At all my appointments with a reputable OB/GYN practice I made sure to remind the physicians I wanted a natural childbirth - no drugs! Two weeks past my due date I finally went into labor. Once situated in the hospital I used my breathing patterns learned at Lamaze class. The nurse told me my contractions were too hard and my baby was in distress. I needed to take a new drug called Nubane. So I agreed. Eventually I was taken to the delivery room and my doctor told me I needed a nerve block. So much for no drugs. After the nurse got on top of me to push the baby out and the doctor pulled with forceps my beautiful little girl was born. Nothing in the world mattered except the beauty of seeing and holding my gorgeous baby!! Sarah is now 27. She teaches problematic high school students while working on a master’s degree in administration. Sarah is planning to get married this fall.

Learning about maternal and neonatal programs in developing countries, I am saddened to learn the surprisingly high rate of mortality and morbidity. Best estimates for Jamaica suggest that between 1,300 and 1,900 women and girls die each year due to pregnancy related complications. Most of these deaths can be prevented with cost-effective health care services (Jamaica MNPI). Although, compared to other developing countries globally, Jamaica’s maternal an neonatal programs are rated slightly higher, especially for access to services in rural areas. Jamaica is rated very high globally for encouraging immediate breastfeeding (Jamaica MNPI). The following describes the birthing experience in a Jamaican hospital:

A birthing experience in the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica childbirth is a community event . Women share a labor room and encourage each other during the process. This is where first-time mothers get their first “childbirth education classes”. Women also share the delivery room where midwives and nurses work together and assist one and other with each birth (Wilson, L, 1997).

In the United States we value our privacy that is inherent to our culture. Jamaican culture is more community, thus childbirth is a more joyously shared community event (Wilson, L, 1997)

References:

MNPI Maternal and Neonatal Program Effort Index Jamaica. Retrieved from www.policyproject.com/pubs/MNPI/Jamaica_MNPI.pdf

Wilson, L. (Spring 1997). Birth as a Community Experience: It Can Be Achieved in a Hospital! Midwifery Today issue 41. Retrieved from http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/community.asp