Out of 100 children born in 2000, 30 will most likely suffer from malnutrition in their first five years of life, 26 will not be immunized against the basic childhood diseases, 19 will lack access to safe drinking water, 40 to adequate sanitation, and 17 will never go to school. (UNICEF)Last year around this time I made the comment that uneducated children grow to be uneducated adults and those parents run the risk of passing that same quality of "EMPTINESS" to their children. I also mentioned that the same will have to hold true for poverty.
If you have grown up in poverty and haven't educated yourself or seeked education on how to get out of poverty you can fail to break the cycles of poverty. Now, I am NOT saying that people growing up in poverty are miserable or even unhappy, because they can be some of the happiest people who appreciate the the value of the simplest things. What I'm saying is if you keep doing the same thing from generation to generation you're going to get the same results. And in Kyrgyzstan enrollment in schools is steadily dropping, and if the only hope to come out of poverty is education - the more children drop out of school the more it will help poverty to continue to grow.
The percentage of people living in poverty rose to over 60% when Kyrgyzstan broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991. Currently 55% of the children in Kyrgyzstan who are in the rural & urban areas of the country are living in poverty. Throughout the year about 14% of children will miss school. Some due to illness because they can not afford medicines to keep them well and others to go to work to help support their families. And this percentage can rise to 70% at peak season months in the agricultural communities. Overall 11% of children both boys and girls, from 7 to 17 are involved in some form of work.
What I have found out from the website I was researching (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre), due to the continue increase in poverty year after year and especially in the last 10 years, there are organizations and government groups that are trying to reduce poverty in Kyrgyzstan by implementing new economic plans. These plans include promoting economic growth and creating a fair society by giving these families access to assets. Such as allowing those families that fit the criteria to claim land shares from the Land Redistribution Fund or providing seeds and fertilizers to those farmers who can not afford it.
The percentage of people living in poverty rose to over 60% when Kyrgyzstan broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991. Currently 55% of the children in Kyrgyzstan who are in the rural & urban areas of the country are living in poverty. Throughout the year about 14% of children will miss school. Some due to illness because they can not afford medicines to keep them well and others to go to work to help support their families. And this percentage can rise to 70% at peak season months in the agricultural communities. Overall 11% of children both boys and girls, from 7 to 17 are involved in some form of work.
What I have found out from the website I was researching (Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre), due to the continue increase in poverty year after year and especially in the last 10 years, there are organizations and government groups that are trying to reduce poverty in Kyrgyzstan by implementing new economic plans. These plans include promoting economic growth and creating a fair society by giving these families access to assets. Such as allowing those families that fit the criteria to claim land shares from the Land Redistribution Fund or providing seeds and fertilizers to those farmers who can not afford it.
Also, for the city of Osh Province in Kyrgyzstan, the town that was burned down by civil way; the government aimed to rebuild the town and school. To give children and families hope. And I am happy to report that a year later, "hundreds of children from Shark village in Osh Province have settled down in the new Tolstoy School following a year-long journey" (unicef.org).
"When the students went to Sharipov School, they were taken by bus for their own safety. The school’s director, teachers and students gave them a warm welcome, and UNICEF supported the renovation of classrooms, built new toilets and provided basic school materials" (unicef.org).
In my opinion, These experiences that the children of Kyrgyzatan have had has definitely effected their emotional well being. To have your home ripped from you and your safe place (school) burned down has to be dramatic for any child. On the same token, thanks to UNICEF these children have the ability to start over and regain parts of their lives that were missing. From a personal point although I am saddened that these children had to experience this I am happy they are able to pull though this turmoil and get an even better school with better supplies...in hopes to have an even better education.
From a professional stand point, I think that the organizations involved should have also looked into counseling and other emotional supports in addition to rebuilding their school. To help a child fully heal, all areas of what that child went through must be addressed. I can not say I've gained any new insights this time around but I do plan to continue to follow this country and continue to report on their progress!
