The area of the world that I chose is East and Southern Africa, with the focus on the country of Ethiopia. From the home page of the region site, various countries are experiencing various crisis such as Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, and others. But there are many people around the world working to help them make the most of the unfortunate situations and circumstances. Ethiopia has a huge problem with malnutrition and undernutrition in their children. Although they have managed to get the percentage down, there is still a lot of work to be done.
When children are malnutrition and undernutrition, it not only causes problems with health, but with cognitive and developmental stages. Health in Ethiopia is detrimental. The UNICEF Ethiopia's website makes a statement that says "we say NO to lack of access to healthcare; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and basic nutrition (UNICEF, 2011). It also says we say ENOUGH to children at risk of death in the first 28 days of their lives (UNICEF, 2011). These two statements alone explain the circumstances of children in Ethiopia who suffer from malnutrition and also the extent of its effects on children.
Reading about the circumstances that affect the children of Ethiopia and the hardships that they endure makes me help children that I encounter both in my professional life as well as personal. There are children right here in my very own region and town that are dealing with food scarcity; and reading about the severity in Ethiopia as well as other countries in the region opens my eyes to the importance of helping others, especially when there are children involved.
Reference
UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org
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Hi Chanelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post.
I am always amazed with the suffering of natives of Africa. It especially tugs at my heart strings when I view info commercials late at night that magnifies the severity of their lack of basic resources such as clean water, health care, and food. Such unfortunate circumstances makes it difficult for these children to give full attention to education which could eventually begin to change their circumstances for the better.
Hi Chanelle,
ReplyDeleteYou chose an area that undoubtedly struggles with poverty and violence. I can't believe how common malnutrition is in Ethiopia and we still haven't found ways to decrease this endemic. As you mentioned, malnutrition not only affects children's physical development, but cognitive as well. I know how difficult it can be to perform daily tasks on an empty stomach, so I can only imagine the difficulties these children in Ethiopia undergo in order to just survive. Education seems to be placed on the back burner in situations such as these and it is such a shame.