Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Hunger and Poverty

     I have a friend who has confided in me about her childhood.  She has said that she doesn’t mind me sharing with the class. For the purpose of the assignment, I will call her Amira.  Amira was raised by her mother who had become a single parent because her father left home to live with another woman and her family.  Amira could remember many days not eating at home or eating soup from the local soup kitchen.  She loved school  days and hated weekends, holidays and summer break.  At least at school she could get at least two meals at school.  The weekends were especially difficult because her mother had become a drug addict.  Her mom frequently used illegal drugs in her presence and neglected her motherly duties.  Amira was the youngest of three girls. Her mom did not work and relied on government assistance.   Her older sisters tried as best they could to take care of her.  It was their responsibility to get ready for school early and make sure Amira was also ready.  Sometimes, if they overslept and missed the bus, they were did not go to school.  Amira said those were the worst days because they were very hungry all day long.  Until this day, Amira still cannot understand why her mother wasn’t reported to the child protection agency.  She said they lived in the housing projects sometimes with no water or utilities and always borrowing from a different neighbor. Amira says that she only had new clothes when it was given to them by someone.  Other than that, they wore used clothing that they begged for at the Thrift store.  Amira said they didn’t receive any support from family for academics.  All of the children of her household had poor self-esteem, poor grades and were significantly small that their peers. Chilton said, “Even the slightest forms of food insecurity can affect a young child’s development and learning potential.” (Chilton, 2007)  Today, my uneducated friend, Amira is still living below poverty in America.  I would say this is due to her rough start and no support system. Analyzing Amira’s situation, I think her food insecurities affected  her motivation to learn.  According to Winicki, “Children in households  with any signs of food insecurity score lower and learn less during the school year.” (Winicki, 2003)

     The international area I chose to study was the Philippines.  I’ve read that so many children are required because of necessity to quit school and work.  I read a story about a mother of two, named Winnie.  She is a seasonal worker expected to rear a family.  Her 14 year old son quit school so that he could help provide for his family.  His 12 year old sister attends school and cooks for her mother and brother because they have to work.  Their father died of liver cancer.  Jainy and Alponso’s diet consists mainly of vegetables and rice.  They cannot ever remember tasting meat.  Despite of the wage of 100 pesos earned by Alponso and Winnie, they are still required to pay school fees for Jainy.   The government identifies malnourished children once a year and provides a single meal to those children.  After 7 years of age, one is no longer considered malnourished but simply small and thin.  In the article that I read,  the government provided one glass of milk to a family with 2 young children but the contents of the glass was to be divided.  As Americans, we really don’t realize how blessed we are to partake in at least three meals and at least two snacks a day.  Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet.   I read that the poorest Filipinos have created “milk” for their children by utilizing the foam that forms on the top of the rice.   The call this “am.”  How many of us can say that we drink milk that doesn’t come from a mammal?

   

Chilton, M., Chyatte, M., & Breaux, J. (2007). The negative effects of poverty & food insecurity on child development. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 126(4), 262-72. Retrieved from  

 http://search.proquest.com/docview/195974257?accountid=14872

Winicki, J., & Jemison, K. (2003). Food insecurity and hunger in the kindergarten classroom: Its effect on learning and growth. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21(2), 145-157. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/274259896?accountid=14872

http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/journals-magazines/eia/eiav4n4/child-labour-hunger-and-child-malnutrition-invisible-in-the-philippines  

http://wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/phil-o20.shtml