So, what is poverty? Poverty is when a family or a person is too poor to afford basic necessities such as water, food, clothing and a/or house. People who face poverty struggle on a daily basis to survive. Imagine yourself having to drink dirty water from the river and, on top of that, having barely any food to eat. Unfortunately, poverty is seen and is current all over the world. However, developing countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are the most affected continents.
Poverty affects people of all ages, but children who are affected by poverty suffer immensely. It is impossible for them to reach their full capability as humans as they grow older. If children are not treated at their early stages of life, it could potentially ruin their future. Children who live malnourished for the first two years of their life suffer from a condition called stunting. Stunting is irreversible, it is when a persons body starts to become weaker and smaller while their brain can't fully develop.
As poor nutrition means that their brains can not fully develop, it is extremely difficult for children to then become educated. If the chance ever arises for them to be put in school, they will learn at a much slower pace than a fully nourished child. This means that as adults, they will earn less than others making it incredibly difficult to fully break out of the poverty cycle.
"What if the cure for cancer is trapped in the mind of someone who can't afford an education?" - Unknown
Poverty not only affects a child's educational ability, but their immune systems as well. Their immune system becomes weak meaning that it is more difficult to fight off diseases. Children are faced with deadly diseases everyday and can not afford to even visit a hospital or medicine!
Thankfully, there are many organizations in the world that are currently trying to battle poverty. The United Nations (UN) created 8 different Millennium Development Goals. Their first goal is to Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger by 2015. With this goal in mind, organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and Red Cross are helping countries in poverty.
Poverty affects people of all ages, but children who are affected by poverty suffer immensely. It is impossible for them to reach their full capability as humans as they grow older. If children are not treated at their early stages of life, it could potentially ruin their future. Children who live malnourished for the first two years of their life suffer from a condition called stunting. Stunting is irreversible, it is when a persons body starts to become weaker and smaller while their brain can't fully develop.
As poor nutrition means that their brains can not fully develop, it is extremely difficult for children to then become educated. If the chance ever arises for them to be put in school, they will learn at a much slower pace than a fully nourished child. This means that as adults, they will earn less than others making it incredibly difficult to fully break out of the poverty cycle.
"What if the cure for cancer is trapped in the mind of someone who can't afford an education?" - Unknown
Poverty not only affects a child's educational ability, but their immune systems as well. Their immune system becomes weak meaning that it is more difficult to fight off diseases. Children are faced with deadly diseases everyday and can not afford to even visit a hospital or medicine!
Thankfully, there are many organizations in the world that are currently trying to battle poverty. The United Nations (UN) created 8 different Millennium Development Goals. Their first goal is to Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger by 2015. With this goal in mind, organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and Red Cross are helping countries in poverty.