Well, another week has passed and I have yet to hear back from any of the international contacts including the professional that I e-mailed from the podcast. So today I write about childhood poverty in the country of India (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP), 2001).
Facts About Poverty in India:
India contains most of the people living in poverty in South Asia (CHIP, 2001). It is estimated that 62 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished and a high percentage (34%) of newborns are born underweight. Another important factor in children’s education is that India still holds the highest number of working children in the world. Over 30 percent of children under age 16 are working rather than attending school.
What is India Doing to Prevent Poverty?
The main government has three programs to help combat poverty in the country. There is job creation and infrastructure, food banks, and assistance in self-employment (CHIP, 2012). The largest program is the food bank as India has high numbers of malnourished families. Also mentioned in the research was a program called the Integrated Child Development Services Programme. According to India’s Government website (2012), this program assists in the nourishment and vaccinations of children from birth to age 6. You can read more about the program here: http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm.
Reflecting on Poverty in India:
It is alarming to see such high numbers of poverty and more so the number of children not receiving an education. It is sad to me that children in India are not provided the same opportunities that children such as myself were able to experience in a preschool program and then primary school. I hope that one day more programs will be implemented in India to support early childhood programs and attendance in school. No child should be forced to work even at 16 years of age. A child should be able to focus on their childhood and schooling.
References:
Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre (CHIP). (2001). India. Retrieved January 20, 2012 from:
Integrated Child Development Services. (ICDS). (2012). Integrated child development services (ICDS) scheme.
Retrieved January 21, 2012 from: http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm
Retrieved January 21, 2012 from: http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm
Clara,
ReplyDeleteExcellent article on India! I enjoy all of our blog assignments; however, this assignment was really difficult. It is disheartening that so many children around the world live in poverty. These children are OUR future and more must be done to protect their over all well-being. Thank you for an interesting and informative article.
Tameka
Hi Clara, it is amazing that so many countries outside of the United States have children from birth to adolescent age that are living in high numbers below the poverty level. In my opinion the government of the country play a significant role in the economy and helping to assist so many children and families. I have not heard anything yet from my contacts, but I must keep it going. I am glad that there are alternatives for the professional connection that will also shed some light on the topic.
ReplyDeleteClara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information about India. You stated some very alarming statistics about poverty and underweight newborns. I share the same feeling about children being able to focus on education as a child. It is imperative that there is an effort in India to value education in the early childhood years. As I have learned, these years are so important for healthy development. I wish you luck getting in contact with someone outside of the United States. I know it can be frustrating when you do not receive a response.
Kathryn