- Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why.
The region that I chose to explore and learn about is Latin America and the Caribbean. I chose this website, because I am always hearing about issues in Africa, China, and Russia to name a few, however, I hardly ever hear much about the children of Latin America and the Caribbean. Most of the time when I hear about Latin America and the Caribbean it is regarding the tourism and cruises as well as the beautiful island lands.
- Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting.
One of the prime issues that are affecting the youth of these country is the issue of HIV/ AIDS. According to the website unicef.org in Latin America alone there are more than 68,000 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years with HIV, of which 34.000 are women. In the region are born approximately 2,000 children with HIV annually, and each day 95 women acquire HIV adolescents. This to me is so disturbing because we all know that HIV/AIDS is a serious epidemic that is causing many young people to succumb to death at alarming rates. I also read that children in these countries are suffering from malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. It also mentions that pregnant women and children two and under are the ones who suffer the most. The right to equal education for all children is another issue that affects the children of Latin America and the Caribbean. It states that indigenous, Afro descendants, individuals with disabiltiies, and low income families have low completion rates, lack access to educational institutions.
- Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development.
The lack of medical care, food, and education can greatly affect children's emotional well-being and development in that it all of these factors are needed to help the child to grow in develop in a positive manner. The food is needed to provide crucial nutrients that helps to promote brain, muscle, and tissue development which all help to promote a health start. The lack of medical attention causes children to miss out on necessary vaccinations that can help combat childhood diseases. The lack of education will prevent the children from further developing their cognitive skills, because the children will not be exposed to the learning experiences that can further develop the brain as well as those experiences that helps to develop their social-emotional skills.
- Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional.
From a personal point of view, browsing this website has really enlightened me more to the plight of the children of these countries. It has made me really consider the positives and negatives that affect our own children. As I read about their country and I compared it to ours, sadly, some of these same issues are affecting the children in our very own country. Even though, we are a country rich in hospitals, schools, and homes there are still thousands of children struggling to attend quality school, access quality medical care, and consume foods that are rich in nutrients.
From a professional viewpoint, when I read information such as what was contained in this website, it lets me know that more work is to be done to improve the situations of children all across the world. However, it does causes me to think that even though I would like to help the children in Latin America and the Caribbean, I must be mindful that charity starts at home so I must begin in my own neighborhood, community, state, and country. I can do this by taking the knowledge that I possess and using it to connect with other caring early childhood professionals to create a caring environment for young children to grow and thrive. This also means networking with community resources to help the families gain access to available help.
References:
http://www.unicef.org/lac
Priscilla,
ReplyDeleteI was aware that Latin American countries were suffering but I did not know to what extent it had come to. Thank you for your post giving me this information. It seems as if HIV/AIDS has become a worldwide problem that they are finding no answers to.