Getting to Know EC Internationally

Unfortunately, after several attempts to contact early childhood professionals from all over the world I only received one response from a professional in Australia saying that due to time constraints in their office they would be unable to help.  Bummer!  I was really hoping to do this assignment.  I did, however, check out podcasts on World Forum Foundation (www.worldforumfoundation.org) and gained several insights from listening to the podcasts.

The podcast I chose to pursue is Episode 3: Delfena Mitchell.  Delfena operates Liberty Children’s Home in Belize (www.libertychildrenbelize.com).  This home takes in children who were in some way abused by their families, either physically or sexually.  The home also takes in children are have been abandon or neglected.  The home provides many outlets for the children, allowing them to heal physically and mentally from their traumatic experiences and provides a safe haven.  In her podcast, Delfena tells stories of a child named Joe and his six siblings.  Joe was beaten and had no food.  When he first came to Liberty Children’s Home he was very quiet and did not speak.  After some time of healing, Joe began to speak to Delfena and others at the home, a strong sign of his healing.  I imagine there are many, many positive stories of children at Liberty Children’s Home in Belize and I commend Delfena and her staff for their efforts.  I have e-mailed Delfena, but have not yet received a response.  I am hoping to hear from her soon so we can talk more about her organization and their efforts in Belize.

In this podcast and on their website Delfena demonstrates a fantastic model for early childhood professionals.  I think the loving model that she demonstrates is something that all teachers of young children should persevere to obtain.  The genuine love that her and the Liberty Children’s Home is a nurturing aspect teachers can incorporate in their classrooms as well.  Many children that we will encounter in our classrooms are learning to cope with traumatic experiences in their life.  They may not be extreme as abuse (though in some unfortunate cases they may be), children coping with divorce of parents, moving, the addition of siblings, and many other life events can be difficult.  Providing a loving support is a great goal for teachers of young children as well.  Delfena also models patience in her story of Joe, and how her patience with him allowed him to come out of his shell, which made her very happy.  We often forget that children in our classrooms are so young, and parents and teachers can push them beyond what they are developmentally ready for.  When we demonstrate patience as Delfena did in the story with Joe, early childhood professionals may be pleasantly surprised by the children in our classrooms.

Since I was not able to talk with a professional from outside the United States, I have chosen to research Mongolia on the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s website (www.childhoodpoverty.org).  Poverty in Mongolia began to increase due to a change in the structure of the economy in its’ transition from a socialist do a multi-democratic run entity.  The website states that 36% of people in Mongolia were living below the poverty line, and currently another survey is being conducted to get more current, accurate numbers.  Because of the poverty, malnutrition in children is a serious issue and the school system has suffered because of the economy as well.  The good news is that initiatives are being put in place to reduce poverty in Mongolia (http://childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=countryo#12).

The statistics from the website regarding the poverty level of children and families in Mongolia are devastating.  However, I believe that the initiatives to end poverty that have been developed is certainly a step in the right direction.  This allows the people of Mongolia to have a vision, which is the first step in correcting the problem of children and families in poverty.  This shows that not only have they recognized that there is a problem, but there is a goal in mind to help fix the serious problem of childhood poverty.  The lack of information on the website did sadden me, as the most recent data that was posted in terms of percentages was from 1998- 14 years old.  I think it is important to keep up-to-date information, which increases our knowledge base to help correct the problem.  However, these numbers are only beneficial when a plan is developed to help decrease the percentages of children and families in poverty.  I know this week has taught me to open my eyes, gain a stronger knowledge base, and learn new ways in which we can help make a positive change, even in our own communities.