I chose to explore West and Central Africa. I chose this area to explore because my school as a large population of children from this region. Learning about this area will help me become a more knowledgeable and understanding teacher to these children.
Some of the challenges the children in this region of the world are confronted with having their rights violated daily, diseases, malnutrition, poverty, violence, and AIDS. According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF, n.d.), 40% of children in this region do not go to school due to poverty or traditional beliefs. Abuse and exploitation are some ways these children are having their rights violated daily. Some of the diseases which impact the children of this region are diarrhoeal disease, malaria, and other vaccine preventable diseases.
These experiences would affect a child's development and emotional well-being. Children who suffer with these challenges may have more difficulty with demonstrating self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identity. These children may also have difficulty with expressing comfort and joy with human diversity and creating and keeping deep, caring human relationships. These experiences may also affect how these children demonstrate empowerment (Derman-Sparks & Olsen Edwards, 2010).
References
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, D.C.: National Assocation for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
UNICEF. (n.d.) Children in West and Central Africa. Retrieved on June 22, 2013, from:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.
When we read about how things are in other countries we are blessed. So many of the countries are faced with malnutrition, diseases, and violence. All of the factors affect a child's development. These children may never get to experience joy in their lives. It is sad to know that places like these really exist in our world. Great post!
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