Child Poverty in Mongolia

When I clicked on the website www.childhoodpoverty.org, the website would not come up. So I did research on the country of Mongolia.

Poverty is a recent reality in Mongolia. Until about 1990 there were virtually no poor people in rural areas. The government and rural collectives made sure that everyone was supplied with basic goods and access to a full range of public services. Poverty has been a direct consequence of the transition to a market economy in the 1990s, after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Mongolia's centrally planned economy. Privatization of industry and state farms brought high levels of unemployment. Benefits and assistance dried up. Incomes shrank, inflation devoured purchasing power and people had to bear the cost of health and education services.

Presently, one in three people in Mongolia are poor, and the number of poor people grows as the income gap widens. Poverty is becoming entrenched not only in urban centre but also in rural areas, where about half of the country’s poor people live.

Rural poor people in Mongolia include:

• women who are heads of households
• members of households with more than four children
• families of small herders
• unemployed people
• people without basic education
• vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and disabled people, and orphaned children

Poverty is more likely to affect women than men. In 2002, more than 55,000 households in Mongolia were headed by women, 250 per cent more than in 1990. One in four of these families have six or more children. At least half of the households headed by women are poor.

Rural Poverty Portal. Rural Poverty in Mongolia. (2014). Retrieved March 22,, 2014, from http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/mongolia

Sharing Web Resources: National Black Child Development Institute

The organization I selected was the National Black Child Development Institute. For more than 40 years, the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) has been at the forefront of engaging leaders, policymakers, professionals, and parents around critical and timely issues that directly impact Black children and their families. NBCDI’s mission is to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through education and advocacy. NBCDI envisions a society that ensures a successful future for all children.

Historically, NBCDI has built a strong reputation for its work in early care and education and child welfare.  Over the years, their mission has benefited millions of children and their families.  As a leading organization working on behalf of children of color, NBCDI’s future is about growth and sustainability, forging new boundaries and promoting strengths-based programs and policies that lift up our children in the context of their families, communities and cultures.

NBCDI newest publication “Being Black is Not a Risk Factor” focuses on how we can support the development of Black children by focusing on their unique strengths. This publication lists “the challenges facing African American children and families and the failure of various systems to address their needs, it also tells the story of resiliency in the face of despair. It is about the risks and the successes of Black families who love and protect their children to the best of their ability. It is also about what African Americans and the larger society can do to ensure a better tomorrow. What is provided here is a handbook for families and community helpers such as teachers, librarians, coaches and policemen, giving them the information they need to recognize the strength of the community and to design services that build on those strengths” (Bowman, 2013).

After reading this article, I learned that there are many statistics for black families and their children. Black children face many challenges now and in the future, but we, as teachers, can do all we can to help them have positive and successful outcomes. Also, even though black children have many challenges, they also have many strengths that can help them overcome the challenges.

Link to organization: http://www.nbcdi.org/who-we-are/who-we-are

Bowman, B. T. (2013). Being Black Is Not A Risk Factor. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.nbcdi.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/Being%20Black%20Is%20Not%20a%20Risk%20Factor_0.pdf  

 

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

The website that I chose to get in contact with two early childhood professionals was The Global Fund for Children. The two countries that I chose are Middle East and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. I sent a message through their website that included my name explaining what my assignment was for the next eight weeks. A man name Thom Green responded back to me informing me that he would be glad to connect me with some of the people and to tell him a couple of Working Groups that I am interested in, then he would be able to connect me with someone from those groups. I emailed him back several times, but have not heard anything from anyone thus far.                                                          The early childhood organization that I chose is the National Black Child Development Institute. I chose this organization because I am very interested in learning more about it.

"My Support"

I forgot to add my life challenge. The life challenge I chose is not having my legs to walk. I have an uncle who is unable to walk because he had his legs amputated. My legs help me to walk, run, jump, dance, and many other things. If I didn't have my legs, I would not be able to walk my children to the park, run around the neighborhood with them, do certain exercises, walk around my classroom, or dance. If my support team was not around to help me during this trying time, I would not know what to do. I would have a wheelchair to help me, but it is nothing like have someone around to help, especially your family. My uncle has been through my obstacles throughout his life because he does not have his legs, but he still remains joyful throughout it all because he knows he has a support team to help him during his time of need.

"My Supports"

Some factors within my daily environment that are supportive to me are my husband, children, mother, and job. My husband supports me in everything that I do. When I decided to return to school, he supported me on my decision. When I have an assignment to complete, he makes sure that our children are not in the way of me completing it. My children support me by being there for me when I need them to do extra chores around the house when I am unable to finish them because I have many other tasks to complete. They let me know that they understand when I am unable to go on an outing with them and their father. My mother is my “ROCK”. She helps my husband and I with our children when we need time alone. She makes appointments for the children and is always there to take them to their appointments when I am unable to do so. My job supports me by helping me provide for my family and providing me with the things I want and need. My job also supports me by allowing me to leave whenever my children are sick at school or whenever I have an appointment or something important to take care of.

All of these supports are beneficial to me. These supports have helped me to become the person I am today. Without these supports it would be difficult for me to continue my education and my life would probably be chaotic. If these supports were gone taken away from me, my life would be totally different. I would be so stressed out and unmotivated to succeed in life. I would probably drop out of school. I am so appreciative and happy that I have a wonderful support system that is always encouraging and supportive. I do not know what I would do or where I would be without them.

"My Connections to Play"

"When you asked me what I did in school today and I say, "I just played." Please don't misunderstand me. For you see, I am learning as I play. I am learning to enjoy and be successful in my work. Today I am a child and my work is play." -Anita Wadley

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning but for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.: -Fred Rogers



Some of my most memorable moments of play involves playing outdoors. When I was growing up, from the time my sisters, brother, and I woke up in the morning until it was time for us to come in the house once the street lights came on, we were outdoors playing and exploring the world. My mother provided us with blocks, dramatic play props, books, puzzles, art materials, and many other items that helped support our development indoors and outdooors. We played in mud making mud pies, we used wood to build houses, and we used acorns as balls and a wooden plank as a bat to play baseball. We rode our bikes in the streets, jumped rope, played games such as Red Rover, Hide and Seek, Red Light, Green Light, Stop, Simon Said, and many more games. My mother and grandmother were always outdoors playing with us and our neighborhood friends. My mother would always say, "Who wants to race me" because she ran track when she was in high school and thought that she could beat everybody in a race. We had so much fun playing together.

Play today is different from the play I was engaged in as a child. Many children today think that playing games on their phones, tablets, computers, and other electronic devices is play. They do not want to go outdoors and play games such as Ring Around the Rosy and Hide and Seek. I remember playing these types of games until I was around 15 or 16 years old. When I was growing up, we could go outside and play without our parents checking on us. But nowadays, we have to think about sending our children outside to play because of all the crimes and violence that is going on. Many parents do not feel that it is safe for their children to play outdoors. I must say, I am one of those parents even though I live in a pretty good neighborhood. My children have to play close to the house because I am very concerned about their safety.

My hope for the children today with regard to play is that they are allowed the opportunity to play. They need to have the opportunity to play by themselves and with others. I hope that parents and teachers continue to support children in play and know that play plays a huge role in supporting physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language development.

Play played a significant role throughout my life as a child and is continuing to do so as an adult. As a child, play enhanced my social development. I was able to initiate play with my family, friends, and other peers. Play also enhanced my physical, emotional, cognitive, and language development. Play supported all aspects of my development as a child. Since my mother, grandmother, and early childhood teachers understood and supported play while I was growing up, I am now doing the same for my children at home and school. As an adult, I still love to play. I run around with my children at home and school. I climb structures, read plenty of books, play in the sand and water table, play with blocks, construction toys, play hide and seek, and much, much more.

I have a four year old son so I have to continue to be a big kid at heart!!!!

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are the most significant element of people’s lives. Relationships are important to me because they are an essential factor of happiness and health. When we have healthy relationships, we lead happy lives.

I have positive relationships with my husband, mother, and my high school teacher. My husband and I are very close. He is very supportive and loving and he is always motivating me when I think I cannot do something. He is always telling me that I can do anything I put my mind to.

My mother has played a huge role in me being the person I am today. She has always been there for me through the good and bad. We have always had a trusting and loving relationship and she has always been involved in my education. She is the reason why I decided to become a teacher because she was never able to fulfill her dream of becoming one.

My high school teacher has been in my life for many years. She is very encouraging and motivating. She is always encouraging and pushing me to go farther in life. In the past, when I thought about changing fields, she encouraged me to stay in the early childhood field because she knew that my heart was with working with children.

These people have been huge influences in my life. In order for us to maintain positive relationships with one another, we have to continue to respect and communicate with each other. If we don’t trust, respect, and communicate with one another, it will be very challenging to develop and maintain relationships. The special characteristics of these relationships that make them partnerships are honesty, trust, collaboration, respect, and support.

My experiences with relationships can impact my work as an effective early childhood professional by me continuing to be respectful, trusting, supportive, caring and open. If I continue to illustrate these positive traits, I will continue to develop and maintain positive relationships/partnerships with my family and friends. This will also benefit me as a teacher.