Unfortunately, I
never heard back from the international early childhood professionals that I
reached out to through e-mail. So I visited the UNICEF website to read about
childhood poverty. I chose to read about poverty in Mexico, because it is so
close to the United States and seems to affect our country a great deal also.
Although the
economy in Mexico is slightly improving, poverty is still prevalent in the
country. “In 2010, 46.2% of Mexico’s residents lived in poverty – a figure that
rises to 53.8% among children, who are overrepresented among the poor. Nearly
14% of Mexican children under five are stunted – a figure that is higher in
rural areas and reaches nearly 33% among indigenous children” (UNICEF, 2013 p.
1). The rural areas of Southern
Mexico have the worst poverty, with higher under-five mortality rates and
maternal mortality rates. Access to health care and sufficient nutrition remain
a problem especially in rural areas. “Chronic malnutrition amongst children
remains high: 13.6% of under-fives in 2012 (1.5 million) and 27.5% in rural and
indigenous areas in the south” (UNICEF, 2013 p. 2). Another problem resulting
from poverty is a child’s access to an education. Many children living in
poverty in Mexico have to work instead of going to school, making it almost
impossible to ever change things for their personal future (UNICEF, 2013).
Reference:
UNICEF (2013, Apr 3). Mexico:
Government and UNICEF launch ground-breaking
study
addressing child poverty. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_68584.html
UNICEF (2013). UNICEF
Annual Report 2013 — Mexico. Retrieved from
http://www.unicef.org/about/annualreport/files/Mexico_COAR_2013.pdf
Mary
ReplyDeleteThese numbers are staggering; I understand why they are fleeing the country by the thousands. This information pains my heart especially knowing that people are living in such tragic circumstances. I realize the United States has poverty on our own soil but I think we have enough to provide for all.
It is sad to see the percentage of children in poverty. I believe that education is an important key to trying to get out of poverty. If these children are not able to get an education it is going to be hard for them to get out of poverty. I think this is true for a lot of children around the world.
ReplyDeleteMary
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad that a country so close can be suffering from such conditions. I see why many are eager to cross the border to provide better lives for their families. As a country how can you help others that are so close that are in so much need. The future for the children are survival of the fittest, by all means to survive and rise above the conditions.