Stress in My Childhood
When I think about the issues children are faced with in life I realize that they have more to dill with now than I did growing up, even though I am only 24 years old. From 2000 to 2011, the U.S. poverty rate rose from 11.3 percent to 15 percent
(Bread for the world institute, 2013). Growing up as a child I was faced with the stressor of poverty. I was not the poorest in my area, but I knew what it was like to struggle. The beginning part of my child hood was spent in a two parent home and with both parents we were considered to be living at above the poverty line.When my parents split up at the end of my eight grade year it was just my mother and I living together.
My mother at the time was disabled and when my parents split my father lost the house which put my mother and I out on the streets. At that time we had no place to live nor was my mother physically working. She was only receiving partial disability and a workers comp check. Even with that coming in we were living way below the poverty line. Coping with this situation was hard at first. For about six months were sleeping in the car and in and out of friends and families houses at night. It was hard going to school because some days out of the week I would have on some of the same clothing. I had to deal with children picking on me because my close were re worn and hand me downs. I tried to never let people words bring me down, but it was hard hearing it all the time. I continued to push through school and continued to play sports. Doing this helped me to cope with the situation better because it took my mind off of my situations at home and school. I continued to go to school with a smile on my face and not let others words bother me so much. It was different not having a bed to sleep in, but I did not complain because I new while I was at school my mother was looking for us a place to stay.
After about six months were blessed to find somewhere to live. It was different not having my father around and not having as much money as before. In order to cope with my new living situation I had to learn how to be more responsible and just grow up a little quicker. I had began to help my mother even more around the house, the money that I would make form playing the drums at church I would save it up, but if my mother needed it to pay on the bills or to help her get groceries for the house I would give it to her. Growing up in poverty taught me how to budget at a young age and to be thankful for the things that I do have because there is always someone who is not as fortunate as I am.
Stressors Impacting Children In Iraq
The biggest stressor that children are being faced with in Iraq is War. Iraq is one of the worst places for children because of the human rights violations caused by two decades of war. These wars have caused the entire social view of the country to change. The wars have "used ethnic cleansing to break up the unity of the country, destroyed
water purification systems, health and educational facilities and
indiscriminately bombed dense populated areas." Living in these type of conditions have caused "mental disturbance"
( Kentane, 2013). The wars have cause the area that these children are living in to be a toxic environment because of the wartime destruction of military and industrial infrastructure. These items have released released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater. This could lead to a disease epidemic." Contamination from Depleted Uranium (DU) and other military-related
pollution is strongly suspected of causing a sharp rise in congenital
birth defects and cancer cases in Iraq and makes the country unlivable
( Kentane, 2013)." As far as children's physical development there are more children being born with defects such as heart and the nervous system. It has also caused an increase in cancer in children like leukemia
( Kentane, 2013).
Since the wars have occurred that has also increased poverty which has led to low enrollment in schools in this country. "Only 3.7% of children aged from 36-to 59 months enlisted in nurseries or
kindergartens
( Kentane, 2013). 5% of children enrolled are between 48-59
months as compared to 2.6% of younger children
( Kentane, 2013). Pre-school enrolment is
5.2% urban against 0.9% in rural
( Kentane, 2013)." Also due to the war a lot of schools have had to be rebuild or need work cause the quality of education and attendance rates to drop
( Kentane, 2013). " 80% of school buildings required significant reconstruction, over 1,000
required a total rebuild and a further 4,600 major repair
( Kentane, 2013). Having a lack of building and overcrowding has caused one third of schools to deliver lessons in two or even three shifts,
coupled with acute shortages of essential teaching/learning materials. Students with as much as 6 years of age difference remain in the same
classroom and in some areas there are not enough schools that can
provide adequate instruction in the language required by displaced
children from other areas
( Kentane, 2013). These children are faced with issues that you would not even think of. Some do not attend school because of the safety issues in the country. They continue to get threats about the schools getting blown up. Because of the war children cognitive development is being affected, females of families are not being allowed to be sent to school, children are resorting to selling drugs and their body for money, and are being faced with kidnapping for human trafficking. Not a lot is being done to help change some to the situations that are going own. Some aspects of the government do not feel as if they are responsible. Even though they do not feel responsible there are other tyring to help turn these stations around
( Kentane, 2013).
Although a lot is not being done to help fix these problems in Iraq, there are a few orgnizations that are working own restoring education and fighting for the rights of children. Warchild.org has two projects that they are working on in Iraq: Getting Children back into Education and Supporting Children's Rights(War Child UK., 2013). They are, "training teachers in southern Iraq and giving girls the vocational skills that can build them a better future(War Child UK., 2013)." and they are "helping local communities to identify and protect vulnerable children and ensure that their basic rights are being met(War Child UK., 2013)."
Refrences
Bread for the world institute. (2013). Within reach global development goals 2013 hunger report. Retrieved from http://www.hungerreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Hunger-Report-2013-lowrez.pdf
Kentane, B. (2013, February 19). The children of iraq: “was the price worth it?”. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-children-of-iraq-was-the-price-worth-it/30760
War Child UK. (2013). Supporting children's rights in iraq. Retrieved from http://www.warchild.org.uk/what-we-do/iraq/supporting-childrens-rights-project
War Child UK. (2013). Supporting children's education in iraq. Retrieved from http://www.warchild.org.uk/what-we-do/iraq/supporting-childrens-education-iraq-project
Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) French philosopher and poet. 
