On the UNICEF website, I researched
the region of Latin America and Caribbean.
I chose this area, because I am somewhat familiar with this area,
although I have mixed emotions. I have
been to the Caribbean several times via a cruise ship, and without a doubt, I
will be back. While my husband and I
have enjoyed the beautiful beaches, amazing shops, and spectacular beach-front
homes. This is what we saw on most of
our tours. Then, this past year, we took
a tour through Belize, and after seeing some spectacular homes and beaches, we
traveled by bus through some of their poverty-stricken areas. First of all, I was scared that we would be
attacked (really I was). But, more so, I
was in shock… young children were running through the streets, without an adult
in view… children had ripped, dirty
clothes… other children were without clothes… children could be seen going to the
bathroom on the streets… children were
hitting each other with street branches… houses were boarded up… windows were
broken… houses were half together (really).
The different areas on this tour were like night and day; it was hard to
believe that one area of extreme wealth led into an area of extreme poverty.
The initial page on the website
reiterated my observations. The web page
states that an unequal atmosphere exists among the children in Latin America
and the Caribbean. By unequal, it means while
the lives of many children have improved, millions of other children are at
risk. More than half of the children and
adolescents in this area are living in areas of poverty. UNICEF is working in this area to break the
cycle of poverty. Then, as I read
further, that many of these children do not have safe water to drink or basic
sanitation services. In addition, UNICEF is working to make certain
that children in this area receive important immunizations.
As if I was not in shock enough, I
read that an estimated 35 million children in this area never enter school…
NEVER! Obviously, one of the goals of
UNICEF is to come up with initiatives that would assure all children received
access to school. Another one of
UNICEF’s goals for this area is protecting children from violence. Nearly 85,000 children die annually as a
result of violence in this area. While
my bus trip (that I will never forget, nor will I ever repeat) was only 1 1/2
hours, I viewed life from both sides of a coin.
Without a doubt, the living conditions of these children will affect
their emotional development, in addition to their cognitive, social, and
physical development.

I cannot help but reflect back to
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which I still think has relevance today. If these children do not have the basics
(water, food, clothes), it is basically impossible for them to move further up
the ladder and accomplish much else. Children
whose basic needs are not met will never become all that they can be. When I worked in the preschool classroom, I
could instantly tell if a child had a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast;
these children were wide awake and ready to conquer the world.
This blog posting brought back
memories that I tried to put away somewhere.
I kept telling my husband, “I don’t believe what I’m seeing.” I wish that I could grab a handful of these
little children and bring them home with me in my suitcase. These children deserve a chance to make
something of themselves… they deserve food and water… they deserve to go
outside and play ball… they deserve to be educated in a good, developmentally
appropriate school… they deserve a chance to succeed… they deserve life. UNICEF is making a huge difference, and I
trust that they will continue to do so, one child at a time. I just do not know if that is enough; but I
do not have a better alternative.
Hi Lois, I was focusing on Asia and Pacific, as I am more familiar to that area. My husband and I went to an orphanage in Cambodia, and we were shocked by what we saw, heard, and experienced there. Poverty is the root of all of shocks that we have. That is what I believe. Children do not have the rights or opportunities to be educated, and they only have a bare playground without any toys or equipment for them to play with. They only play with sand, and climb the trees there. It is sad. It seems that in Latin America and Caribbean there are many children who cannot go to school either. I really really hope we all can do something to give those children the opportunities to be educated, so they have the knowledge to change their future. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteXiyue
Hi Lois,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when I visited St. Lucia (althought it did differ somewhat).
[I am from Bermuda, and contrary to what most people beleive, this is a very welathy country and is no where near the Carribbean]
I went there on my honeymoon, figuring it would be just like a bigger Bermuda. When we landed, there was a cow on the runway. As we drove the 45 minutes to get to the resort, I was amazed by the breathtaking (and at times terrifying) cliff drops and mountainside (totally contrary to what I had ever experienced). What was most strange to me was seeing that the country was so poor. People lived on shacks on the side of the road, built from wood fragments. At times, there was such a stark contrast between the beauty of the land, and the quality of the home.
(see this link - goes to a page on my blog for a pic http://learningtodaytoenrichtheirfuture.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/st-lucia-a-contrast/ ).
I felt so guilty being there. There were all these snobby rich tourists at the resort... bragging about how they used their butlers for everything, complaining about the butler's accent, etc. My husband and I ended up befriending the people worked there instead (and am still in touch with one of them). I felt horrid that I was one of the 'rich' people there, having all these people wait on me, and it actually took away from my enjoyment of the trip.
I remember during the day, looking out at the piece of land that stuck out past the beach, and seeing all the little houses and rooftops, yet when the sun when down, only a few houses had electricity.
I left the island feeling shocked by the poverty I had seen. And also amazed at some of the beauty of it as well (children playing cricket in the alley with a piece of wood and a water bottle). Whilst I knew that poverty impacted other areas of the world, in a more influential way, I was still shocked by some of what I have read and seen through the UNICEF website.
Lois
ReplyDeleteI can understand that if children whose basic needs are not met that they will never become all that they can be. Like in West and Central Africa, UNICEF has begun to set up to give at least one meal a day to attract more children to school. I believe that a child's basic needs has to met for the child to excel in school. Lois thanks for sharing your personal experiences.
I would love to go visit Latin America and Caribbean to see how their education system works. It seems like the culture is very different especially allowing the children to be on the streets alone. I would be culture shock if I saw a child using the restroom in the middle of the streets. Sometimes I have to remember is that that is all they know because they haven't been expose to anything else.
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