As a child during my early childhood I lived in poverty. My mother had six children at the time and we all lived with my grandmother. My mother relied on the government's welfare system to provide food for us, provide health care for us, and other basic necessities. I remember there were a number of events offered at my elementary school however I often times could not participate because my mother did not have any money to give me. I never knew we lived in poverty until I became a little older. We had fun as kids playing outside and enjoying things we had. My mom was addicted to drugs and was unable to provide for us. My mom often neglected our basic needs. There were times when we didn't have food in our home. My mom would go to different churches and get us food. We never really went hungry because my mom made sure we had food. When I was taken away from my mom and moved with my great aunt I realized there were things that we had at her house that my mom never had at her house. Living in poverty was a generation curse for my family. When I graduated from college I had to rely on the government to care for me and my 1 year old daughter. I received government assistance for 5 years. One day I asked God to release me from the generational curse of poverty. I no longer wanted to rely on the government to take care of me and my children. I began to pray and ask God for help. He gave me the idea to write children's books. I published my 1st children's book this year and made a promise to never rely on government assistance again.
https://www.children.org/fight-child-poverty-mexico
CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN IN POVERTY
Over half of Mexico’s population lives in poverty. Over 7% of children under age 5 are malnourished. The average income of sponsored families is $400/month, of which 75% is typically used for basic necessities like food, water and clothing.
Solutions
- More than 18,000 poor youth and children in Mexico are sponsored.
- Sponsored youth and children in poverty receive vital assistance like free medical and dental care, nutritional support, educational assistance, family aid, clothing, school supplies and uniforms, shoes and more.
- Five CI community support centers in some of Guadalajara’s poorest areas provide safe havens for sponsored children, with access to computers, libraries, tutors and more.
- A broad youth program helps sponsored youth learn to be leaders, develop job and life skills, learn about finances, participate in organized sports and give back to their communities.
- An average of 90 HOPE scholarships are granted annually to eligible sponsored youth wishing to continue their educations.
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story with me. I do not believe that using government assistance is a problem because everyone needs help at some point. But continuously living on government assistance is a handicap because the people get comfort. I believe that you took a great first step and being independent and you started a legacy for you and your family.
Kontrina
Thank you for sharing Tiffany. You have worked hard and you have been blessed.
ReplyDeleteAs we have learned, it is a good thing that children have placidity and protective optimism. Although things were difficult, your Mom provided for your basic needs and was a protective buffer for what could have been worse.
I also read about poverty. Of western industrialized nations, more children live in poverty in the United States, 20%. Canada and Australia are at 9%, France and German at 4%. For such a wealthy nation, we must not be doing everything possible. We could learn from programs that other countries implement to help low-income families and children - such as subsidized health care.
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book! It is refreshing to hear your success story. Continue working hard and believing in yourself. You can do anything that you put your mind to. I wish you and your family the best. What is your book called?
I read an article on malnourished Haitian children. In Haiti, a large population of children under the age of four were malnourished. Low income, neglect from mothers, and less resources contributed to the large amount of children suffering from hunger. The success of the children was based on the behavior of the mother. Children who had mothers who interacted with them on the daily basis was correlated with children gaining weight quicker and becoming healthier. Children neglected by their mothers developed insecure bonds with their mother. Sometimes, the children displayed mistrust with their mothers and refused to eat.Thank you for sharing your personal experiences.
Salesha