Poverty vs Dreams and our children and soon to be children's future!
By jeanniemay
@jeanniemay (1798)
Philippines
March 21, 2008 10:32am CST
POVERTY, like a thief in the night, is quietly stealing from the children -- robbing them of the right to education. Reading and writing is an inherent right of each child, regardless of race, religion or social class. Sadly for some children in countries like mine, it is but a dream.
Yes, there are public schools, but for families who could not afford to provide their kids with school bags and supplies, parents would rather send the child to the streets to earn their food for the day. This stark reality is common in several areas of the my country, especially in the remote areas where towns are only accessible by foot and school supplies are scarce.
What will you feel if in your twilight, I mean old age, you will witness your grand children experiencing this? Or are you preparing a good future for your children? What will you prepare? 
2 people like this
3 responses
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
21 Mar 08
Your questions bring up questions I've had, forgive my ignorance of your culture/community. I'm an American who has never traveled outside of the US. In the US most children do go to school. Public or private depending on the parent's wishes and finances. However in the US there is a growing trend towards home-schooling. My family has been home-schooling for almost a decade now. I was dissatisfied with many areas of public school, and private was just not something I could afford. After some time home schooling, it occurred to me that even if I could now afford private school, I prefer home schooling. Because of my personal investment in my children, no one else would be as motivated as I am to give them the best. Now that I have explained a little bit about my thoughts on education- what I wonder about other countries, even ones with extreme poverty- why aren't other members of the family able to provide an education for the children in a family at home? I don't want to sound judgmental, I truly wish to understand this. But if any adult or even older child can read and write, they can teach it to any child who wants to learn. Are there public libraries in your community? Even without supplies, sharing knowledge on base level is free and of infinite value to those who receive it.
2 people like this
@jeanniemay (1798)
• Philippines
21 Mar 08
Yes, sharing knowledge is free. I don't know how some people in my country thinks. I asked a street child, selling plastic bags, the other day if he is attending school and if where his parents are. He replied that his mom is in the marketplace selling some goods, his dad is drunk. 
His parents could not afford to buy him school supplies so he cannot attend school. They need to work to have something to buy some food. He is 9 and he still doesn't know how to read well. He knows how to count but not much. He just know how to differentiate bills and coins and count them. He attended first grade and thats it. His parents attended school up to 6th grade.What is happening to my country? These parents should be punish for bringing some child in this world and not even giving him what he deserve. Why are they allowed to have these children if they can't afford. 
Lazy parents! Make me angry!
I grew up from a poor family. With the little that she can afford, my mom has been tutoring me after her work and even hired a tutor for me to help me with English, math and science. I attended a 30minute walk public school.
I wake up at 4AM, do some household chores, go to school for an early walk and stay in the library before and after school. I am not born intelligent, I have to study hard to understand and learn every subject in school. I stay late as midnight just for me to learn at the same time attend to my responsibilities in the house. Being the first born, I have task to attend to before and after school. Weekends, I have to take care of my siblings while both my parents go for work as merchants. Still, I find time to read, read and read.
I don't know but maybe I was lucky enough to have parents who nurtured me right. My parents worked hard and now we are living in the city, have our own home and can comfortably live like we did not have those hardships in the past. I attended college and works in our family business my parents established.
If all parents will be like them, things would be different I guess. My father did not even finish high school. My mom is a registered nurse but worked selling different stuff until she settled with selling Avon. That has become our bread and butter. And now, I am a sales leader like my mom.
We have vast areas of rich natural resources but I don't know what's happening to the becoming poor minds of my countrymen. Hayy! Makes me sigh.
I don't know if you read up to this end. I have to rewrite everything, I lost all of it in my first writing. Haha!
Thanks for your response. If I am to write to the local paper in my community, I will share what you just said. Thanks! Hope to hear for more. 
His parents could not afford to buy him school supplies so he cannot attend school. They need to work to have something to buy some food. He is 9 and he still doesn't know how to read well. He knows how to count but not much. He just know how to differentiate bills and coins and count them. He attended first grade and thats it. His parents attended school up to 6th grade.What is happening to my country? These parents should be punish for bringing some child in this world and not even giving him what he deserve. Why are they allowed to have these children if they can't afford. Lazy parents! Make me angry!
I grew up from a poor family. With the little that she can afford, my mom has been tutoring me after her work and even hired a tutor for me to help me with English, math and science. I attended a 30minute walk public school.
I wake up at 4AM, do some household chores, go to school for an early walk and stay in the library before and after school. I am not born intelligent, I have to study hard to understand and learn every subject in school. I stay late as midnight just for me to learn at the same time attend to my responsibilities in the house. Being the first born, I have task to attend to before and after school. Weekends, I have to take care of my siblings while both my parents go for work as merchants. Still, I find time to read, read and read.
I don't know but maybe I was lucky enough to have parents who nurtured me right. My parents worked hard and now we are living in the city, have our own home and can comfortably live like we did not have those hardships in the past. I attended college and works in our family business my parents established.
If all parents will be like them, things would be different I guess. My father did not even finish high school. My mom is a registered nurse but worked selling different stuff until she settled with selling Avon. That has become our bread and butter. And now, I am a sales leader like my mom.
We have vast areas of rich natural resources but I don't know what's happening to the becoming poor minds of my countrymen. Hayy! Makes me sigh.
I don't know if you read up to this end. I have to rewrite everything, I lost all of it in my first writing. Haha!
Thanks for your response. If I am to write to the local paper in my community, I will share what you just said. Thanks! Hope to hear for more. 2 people like this
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
23 Mar 08
Thank you so much for answering my questions in your discussion. After reading your answer, it confirms a belief I have that human nature is the same no matter where you go,no matter how different things may appear. We have children graduate High School every May, who are barely literate after attending school for 13 years. I think even when education is free, fair or even great quality, and available to all; there are still some who just don't value it. Families who value learning, like your family & mine, will teach their children no matter how difficult it may be, and families who don't will not, even if it's easy.
1 person likes this
@melvinandheather1 (540)
• United States
21 Mar 08
That's horrible. In America we tend to focus on education and a lot of times we take for granted the fact that some other places don't have the money for a good education. I have been saving for a good while for my childrens college fund. I have been thinking about sending them to a private school, but am not quite sure of that yet. I can't even say anymore, i'm realy sorry that it is like that. I just wish that the children were able to go to school. But anyway i've been preparing for my childrens education and will continue to do so for a very long time.
@jeanniemay (1798)
• Philippines
21 Mar 08
Focus in my country is different which makes me sigh!
I will also save for my children to attend a good school. Even this early, I was taught to save. I don't have children and I'm not yet married but I see my strength today not to be the same tomorrow.
I will also save for my children to attend a good school. Even this early, I was taught to save. I don't have children and I'm not yet married but I see my strength today not to be the same tomorrow.2 people like this
@bluewings (3857)
•
23 Mar 08
Just read your comments to eden's post.I confess that I have had an easy schooling and beyond and your story to me sounds very inspirational.Not that at our place such determination and focus is unheard of , but I don't get to hear such incidents from very close quarters.Even in our country there are many families who can't afford education for their children .The reason isn't that it is unavailable , government has made it compulsory and free , but as you said, some parents prefer their children to earn something and put some food on the table rather than attend schools and wait for a future that's so distant.Yes, even the drunk story is repeated here.What it stems from is perhaps the fact that husbands get depressed that they can't even earn enough to afford a moderate living for their families.I too get angry at times , but I don't think I have the right to get angry because I haven't lived in their condition.I didn't have to worry about my food or my family's and if I found life so tough as they do I might have reacted just as some of them do, who knows.But if everyone thinks or acts like you did then perhaps the problem could be solved. However, that would not happen.
It's a real problem for poor families.Do they send their children to work to earn to feed themselves or send them to school and let them starve ? Our government has introduced a program under which school children will be provided daily meals at school when they attend schools and study , but there are massive holes in the program.The government at the centre makes the policies and it suffers during the implementation by the governments at the state levels.
Sometimes I feel that a lot of this can be ironed out if the authorities were as devoted to the process of educating each child and you or the person who responded first , but that would only happen if people like you join politics and that's not to happen.The alternative is for like minded people to come together and form organizations that take up the issue with individual families in various zones and keep at it till every family sends their kids to school.Easier said than done.Well, at least your post let me introspect and realize what I have been doing wrong and what I should be doing right now ,lol.Thanks for that!
