Whilst I have been gathering and analysing information
about child poverty my knowledge of child poverty and the effects of it has
increased. I am more aware of the affects child poverty has, not only on
children and their immediate family but on society as a whole. I initially
thought some children experience poverty due to parents being irresponsible and
careless with money and I believed the Government was doing its best to try and
alleviate child poverty here in New Zealand. However after I became informed
and read about child poverty I realised that parents simply can not afford the
basic necessities due to their minimal income. Resources and services are not
available to many as a fee is charged. Parents were not careless or
irresponsible, the economy would not allow for housing costs, food, or medical
care to be decreased. I am also aware now that the Government has made child
poverty a hot topic on their agenda as they are beginning to understand that
their actions, policies and legislations that they put in place are
contributing factors towards such a high per cent of children living in
poverty.
I hope that my blog has given you some insights into
child poverty and the effects it has on our future leaders and generations.
I leave you with a quote that had a great impact on my
thinking which should also give politicians something to look into,
“When Congress passes no child left unfed, no child
without health care and no child left homeless, then we can talk seriously
about no child left behind.” (Susan Ohanian).
Thank you for taking the time to read it.
J.
Hi Janelle. I am so glad that you persisted with the poverty issue in New Zealand. I believe that this is a very big issue as it is sometimes obvious that children are not getting the nutritional wellbeing that they need.
ReplyDeleteI work in a very low socio economic area where the majority of families do not provide enough nutrition for the children of my centre. The amount of children that come into my centre every day without breakfast is unbelievable. As a centre, we do our best to provide the children with healthy food such as foods with the heart tick and lots of fruit and vegetables.
I believe that it is a massive crime against society that many government agencies do not provide food grants for families who earn over a certain threshold. Not just children but every one needs to have access to food whether it be grown locally or store bought.
I feel very strongly about this issue and reading your blog has only made me feel stronger. As a reader of this blog, I also feel that your understandings of this issue has expanded and you too can join the crusade against child poverty.
Kia Kaha! Well Done :)