Podcasts/link

Podcasts

This has been a very hard and trying assignment, this is my forth class working on this blog and I have never had this much difficulties with completing an assignment, but I have not given up. Because I had several problems with trying to complete this assignment using the first option, I finally gave up and went to this site http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/radio.php to listen to some podcasts on issues around the world and early childhood. I first listened to Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell discuss issues about children that have been abandoned, abused, and have disabilities including HIV/AIDS. The center has been open for about 8 years and is mainly for children birth to about 5. Mitchell discussed in the podcast a boy who did not speak for the first year he was here and also was having difficulties with schooling. Mitchell stated that he has made progress since he opened up and continues to talk about the abuse he and his siblings suffered before going to the center.

Another podcast I listened to was Episode 1: Barnabas Otaala. Otaala discussed the problems of HIV in early childhood and the need for partnerships between parents, doctors and the villages that they live in. Otaala stated that teachers and parents need to communicate about the children and work together so that the young children are able to receive the help they need and the support they need to become succeful.

Extra link

I also went to this site http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/ and clicked on the Chip International Activities to find what I could for poverty outside the US. I was reading about poverty in India and found three insights that caught my attention, they include:

1.      Many children do not finish school because of poverty and ill health

2.      Some young girls are married at the age of 10

3.      Young boys will take jobs at young ages to help support their family even doing something like selling ice cream.

Although we have poverty issues here in the US, it was hard to read about the problems in other countries, I cannot fathom having one of my children married at 10, or even taking a job to help support the family. It was hard to read about the problems in India and I only read a few from the list. Other information that I found from the site include:

A 1% reduction in world military spending could provide primary schooling to all the world's children. A 10% reduction could eliminate illiteracy completely for a decade. If 0.5% of world military spending were diverted to immunisation, all children could be vaccinated against preventable diseases for the next 10 years (UNICEF, 2004)

40 % of children in developing countries suffer from malnutrition. At current rates of improvement, 1 billion children's mental development will be affected by malnutrition by 2020 (UN James Commission).

Insights

After listening to the podcasts and viewing the link to CHIP, I have discovered a few new things related to poverty and young children around the world. Although the US also has its own issues with poverty and early childhood, the world around us is also struggling with poverty and from what I have found the circumstances seem to be on a larger scale with children not even being in school past the age of 10 in many cases. Children are working to help support their families, young girls are married around this age and having families of their own to have to support and feed. The cycle of poverty at this rate will only grow and continue to worsen. Children in many of these countries are also dealing with natural disasters and the countries do not have to means to step in help like we do here in the US with are programs such as Red Cross and FEMA. It was insightful to learn about the differences and how even though poverty still exists here in the US there are programs to help unlike many countries who do not have the means.