Poverty
I
grew up in the Raymond Rosen Housing Projects in Philadelphia, Pa. It was a mix
of high-rises and row houses, a combination considered boldly innovative at the
time. Poor, but stable families were screened for admission. In the beginning,
you had to have a marriage license to get housing. We lived there even though my
parents separated. My mom was raising seven
kids, working and receiving some public assistance and food stamps. We did not have extra money to do anything
special because she always wanted to make sure we had food on the table and a
place to live. To cope with the stress of being poor we would do odd jobs in
our neighborhood to earn money. We would wash cars, bag groceries at the
supermarket and stand in line at our community center to get the free food
handouts (i.e. government cheese, powdered milk, and cereal) that local charities
distributed. We qualified for the free breakfast and lunch program at school
and it helped us to conserve the food we had at home. We had a community recreation
center and took advantage of any free programs available in our neighborhood.
We were resilient and did not just sit by and feel sorry for ourselves. As we
grew holder we were selected to participate in programs such as summer jobs for
disadvantaged youth, and free summer camps. We started contributing to the
household. In 1982, my family moved out of the projects and to a three-story
house in Germantown, Pa. (a better neighborhood). My mother now owns that house.
Below
is chart of the poverty status for the county that we lived in Philadelphia
|
Population
by Poverty Status in 1969: 1970
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||||||
|
1970 CENSUS
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||||||
|
State
|
County Name
|
State/ County Codes
|
Person for whom poverty status is
determined
|
Below poverty level
|
Percent below poverty level
|
State Rate
|
|
PA
|
Philadelphia
|
42101
|
1,914,885
|
294,434
|
15.40
|
23.98
|
Poverty in Ethiopia
I picked Ethiopia as a country to
talk about because it is always used as a backdrop when they talk about poverty
in the media and on TV. Ethiopia is located in East Africa and is historically
a rich country. Agriculture accounts
for more than half of its economy, and employs 80% of its population. Ethiopia
has a population of about 80 million and over 75% struggle with an income below
US$2 a day. According to the United Nations Children's Fund 'State of the
World's Children Report 2008', 12 percent of Ethiopian children die before they
reach the age of five.(2008)
The children’s biosocial, cognitive,
and psychosocial development is affected because of all the obstacles that they
face. Parents cannot provide much for their children on the small amount of money
that they earn. The education, health, and economic situation for millions of
Ethiopian children are in a crisis mode. Poverty leads to poor parental care,
unsanitary housing conditions, and higher rates of respiratory and other
infections. Only one third of Ethiopian children attend school because they work
to support themselves and their families. These children work an average of almost
six hours a day. The children who go to school usually do not have time to do
homework and miss a lot of school because they work. In the long run they often
abandon school altogether.
There are organizations worldwide that are
attempting to provide support and help for the people of Ethiopia. One of the
most popular programs is “Save the Children” which provides nutritional and
educational support for children who desperately need it. They also assist with
poverty alleviation, HIV/AIDS, exploitation and abuse, children's rights,
harmful traditional practices, discrimination against girls and children with
disabilities, and refugees.
I
have included the link to a video that talks about street children in Ethiopia
and how the cope with living on the streets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERUI0oaoi5g&feature=player_embedded
References
Ethiopia.
(n.d.).RetrievedJuly24, 2015, from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/ c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150299/k.DB12/Ethiopia.htm
State
of the World's Children 2008 - Child Survival. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2015 from
http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/
United
States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2015, from https://www.census .gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/census/1960/
Anita Marve
Anita,
ReplyDeleteThe information that you shared about your childhood experiences shows the strength and determination that has guided you to the point you have arrived at. When I was growing up I did not think about social levels much; however, as I got older I realized that my parents did the best they could. We had food, my parents built a home, and we took vacations and were able to live comfortably. When one of my friends slept over one night and my mother told her she was free to help herself to what she wanted to eat in the kitchen, she not only ate but cleaned and did whatever else she could do. She later told me that there were night when she and her brother went to bed hungry. I could not relate, I am now aware that something that I took for granted was a great concern to others in my home country.
As I was reading the information that you shared about Ethopia it reminds me of a Caribbean country that has high levels of poverty yet they have minerals in the ground. The little I know is that they do not have the machinery to extract them and cannot afford to get them. This situation is partly because the assistance offered to them has not be accepted, the exact reason I do not know why.
Jeanelle Hodge
Anita,
ReplyDeleteI admire you for moving forward in life in spite the many obstacles that you were faced with growing up as a child. That shows that you are strong and determined. Your story can motivate others to further their education. May god continue to bless you in all you set out to accomplish.