Getting To Know Your International Contacts-Part 1

I read the information about childhood poverty and what is being done about it on the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s (CHIP) website page. Insights I’ve gained were surprising to me. It was very surprising to learn that worldwide there are 600 million children living in poverty. This comes to 1 in 4 children living in poverty. In other countries the rate is higher. That is too many children living in poverty. When children experience poverty even for a short period, it can affect the rest of their lives. When children are malnutrition it can lead to poor health and lifelong learning difficulties. Poor children can lead to poor parents once they are grown.

CHIP is working to deeply understand the main causes of poverty so they can eliminate it. They are examining social and economic factors on the international, national, and local levels. They also communicate their findings to policy makers, advocates, and practitioners. Organizations they work with are Save the Children and the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC).

I haven’t been able to establish communication with anyone so I read about case study in India. A seventeen year old boy, who comes from a family of ten, had to drop out of school to work and his family could no longer afford his education. His father was sick and unable to work to care for the family. Two of his other brothers had to drop out of school to work also. He worked for two years and then he changed jobs. His father got a loan and started a carpet weaving business. The teenager wanted to finish school and get a better job, but family circumstances prevented it. His parents feel as though the carpet weaving business helped them to arise from poverty. Only one of their children was able to stay in school and receive an education.

I feel for this young man having to drop out of school when he was close to finishing. He did what he had to do to ensure the family comes out of poverty, I admire him for that. It makes you appreciate the fact that you didn’t have to endure this as a child or teenager.

Sharing Web Resources

I chose two organizations, one in the United States and one outside the United States. The one I chose in the United States is Pre-K Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States. Pew is a global research and public policy nonprofit organization. They bring policy makers and experts together to   develop solutions that are driven by facts, and they conduct reporting and in-depth research across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. They use evidence to determine which policies work and which policies do not work. The link to this organization is

http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067

 

The other organization I chose is Save the Children. They are an independent organization who go out in the communities to help children and families in need. When disaster strikes they go out and help with food, medical care, and education and they help communities rebuild through their long- term recovery programs. They also try to resolve ongoing struggles our children face each day like, hunger, poverty, disease, and illiteracy. This organization works in the United States and around the world. The link to this organization is http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146405/k.C7E9/About_Us.htm

What caught my eye from the organization Save the Children was what they do for children who are hungry. I think it's admiral to help any child regardless of the situation. The fact that I work with children and nutrition was another reason it caught my eye. No child should be hungry with all the resources available. At the school where I'm employed we do all we can to ensure each child eats. We don't know if our meals are the only meals that they may receive for the day.

Getting Ready—Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

During the week I tried contacting several professional contacts for this assignment. I have had no luck in establishing contacts. Can someone give me a suggestion on what I can do? I chose alternative 2. I listened to some podcasts  and I have subscribed to some. I've tried to contact some early childhood professionals from the podcasts, so far no luck.

I chose two early childhood organizations for my resources, one from outside the United States, Save the Children, and two in the United States, Pre-K Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States and National Head Start Association. I've subscribed to their newsletters, so far I've only heard back from one. I'm looking forward to learning more about these organizations.