International Contacts: Alternative

I was really excited that I had heard back from 4 early childhood professionals in other parts of the world who said that they would like to be my contact, but unfortunately I have not heard back from them since then! Hopefully I will hear from them soon, but in the meantime, I listened to a podcast from World Forum Radio this week.

I chose to listen to Episode 6: Meridas Eka Yora. Mr. Yora is the founder and director of the institution Fajar Hidayah for Islamic Education, director of the Yayasan Fajar Hidayah Foundation, and has founded three boarding schools in Aceh, Indonesia for children who have been orphaned.

I picked this podcast because this week we have been discussing poverty and have looked at homelessness and how these issues affect children and their families. According to UNICEF, 29% of Indonesia’s population falls below the international poverty line of $1.25/day and there is an estimated 4,700 orphans (UNICEF, 2010). In the podcast, Mr. Yora talks about the orphans that he works with; most have been orphaned as a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake which killed over 225 Indonesians and left 500,000 homeless (World Forum Foundation, 2011). Others have been orphaned due to the conflict and war that has been going on for 30 years in Aceh. Mr. Yora talks about the challenges working with these orphans, he says that many have been traumatized-some having watched their parents being killed-and this has deeply affected them. The staff that work at his schools have had “special preparation” and act as family for the children as well as teachers in what Mr. Yora calls a “holistic approach” to create a home for the children (World Forum Radio, 2011). He talks about the challenges that the children face with not only losing their families but their homes as well, and how his program works to create a sense of home and community for them and provide them with the support that they need.

Since I have not been able to contact anyone else, I researched a little into poverty elsewhere in this region-India. Some background from the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP): India is a highly-populated country with a high percentage of people living in poverty, in fact, “India is home to the majority of poor people in South Asia” (CHIP, n.d.) and UNICEF says that 42% of the population falls below the international poverty line (UNICEF, 2010). The statistics for children are heartbreaking: about half of India’s children (62 million) under the age of 5 are malnourished and Indian children account for 20% of the world’s “out of school” children (CHIP, n.d.).

Reading about poverty in India from the CHIP website gave me some new insights and information about the issue of poverty:

1. Most of the anti-poverty programs in India are run by the central government. The measures they use include: increasing economic growth (through liberalization 0f the economy) specifically targeted programs (mainly rural employment creation/infrastructure development, self-employment, and food subsidy), land and tenancy reforms, participatory and empowerment-based approaches, and providing basic services to those in need. Since implementing these programs, poverty rates-both rural and urban- have declined (CHIP, n.d.).

2. Even though poverty rates have been declining, there is a large disparity between genders, classes, and castes. Girls have a smaller chance of survival than boys, are less likely to receive education, and more likely to be involved in child labor. In addition, lower social classes and certain castes are also less likely to receive education and social services, such as health care, due to lack of access and/or quality (CHIP, n.d.).

3. India’s social sectors also face challenges. In education, “a growing population, industrialization, and a globalizing economy that places a premium on information and technology, are stretching the capacity of India’s education system to deliver relevant and effective services” (CHIP, n.d.). Aside from this, there are 33 million poor children who need access to primary schools of high-quality and improvements are needed in the retention rates of poor children, girls, and children from certain castes (CHIP, n.d).

Looking at the issues from the podcast and researching poverty in India showed me even more complexities related to this issue. I learned that there are many factors that can be related to poverty including the environment (and natural disasters), gender issues, class issues, and other social/economic issues (such as war) as well. All of these factors not only play a role in poverty but they can play a role in the quality and access of social supports and services as well. In addition, the effects of poverty run deep and as a result children are put at a disadvantage. Fortunately, there are programs (such as Mr. Yora's and those run by the Indian government) that are working to combat poverty and related factors.

References:

Child Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP). (n.d.). Country Overviews. Retrieved from: http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

UNICEF. (2 March, 2010). Info By Country: Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html

World Forum Foundation. (2011). World Forum Radio. Retrieved from: http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/