The area of the world I choose to explore was West and Central Africa because many of the children in the district where I work are from Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria. There was one parent who I found to be very interesting, she had scares all over her face and one day I asked her why and she explained to me those mark represented what tribe she came from and they were there since she was young.
Some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting are, Malnutrition due to inadequate dietary intake, infections, safe food, and maternal care (UNICEF, 2012). HIV/AIDS may appear to be less than in East in Southern Africa but 1/3 of the 25 million people in the Sub Saharan Africa is living with AIDS (UNICEF, 2012). Another issue which the children in this region are facing is Child protection, meaning sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, domestic violence, discrimination and rejection (UNICEF, 2012). Education is another issue these children face, poverty and traditional belief keeps 40% of children out of the school. Schools are also not child friendly places; they tend to face sexual and other forms of violence in school (UNICEF, 2012).
These experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development because these are the important years where the brain and body need basic clean water and good health to survive. The lack of these resources has a huge impact on the survival rate of these children.
The insights I gained from this information will have a huge influence on how I change my thought process when dealing with the parents and children who come from Africa or any other country. Now I see why the families stress the importance of education and always want extra help for the children. I guess coming to the United States is viewed by them as a great opportunity to receive a proper education that was lacking in their country. I have gained a different respect for them as a people and know that if they made it this far they have made it a long way.
Tashana - doesn't it break your heart to know these children are experiencing these types of issues. We have so many problem in the United States with our own children yet these other countires make our issues seem almost small.
ReplyDeleteTashana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your insights this week. I think you make an important point when you say that you now understand why education is so important to many families you work with. I think many of us take a good education for granted. I can see how this has changed your perspective. I also have gained a new respect for families who go through so much yet never give up hope to better their situations.