The thought of a child never being to MacDonalds, of never feeling the pleasure of getting a new toy as a surprise, of never getting those new sneakers that everyone else has, or even trying to explain to his classmates why he's not eating lunch today brings tears to my eyes and destroys the morale and resolve of the parent that constantly has to say No to that child because they just don't have the money. This happens everyday not only in the major centers of Canada but in the small towns of Nova Scotia. More often that not you will see that women are living in poverty with children that learn at a very young age that life is just not fair.
We live in a society that has shown people that in order to be valued you have to have money and possessions, I agree thats not right, but should a child have to carry that on their shoulders? NO - ABSOLUTELY NOT! Should the single Mother or Father have to carry this on their shoulders? NO - ABSOLUTELY NOT! What about the burden of being a middle income family that has a traditional mom and dad and 2.5 kids, believe it or not they carry this burden as well. There is no easy solution, but those of us that are fortunate enough to be in a position to have food on the table are the only ones that are going to be able to help this issue. Its easy for us to sit back and blame the government (thats another blog at another time), but considering they continue to do research paper after research paper while "Jane Doe" and her children starve prove their not going to do anything. This needs to be grass roots, we need to prove that everyone is important and deserves to have happiness.
As stated above the world at this point and time is unfair, but wouldn't it be nice if just for awhile we were all equal and had a little less to worry about.
I'm open to suggestions and comments.
Women and Girls Matter
17 years ago
Posts
8 comments:
Bill,
You are right about the value that people place on "things". It's easy to get caught up in thinking "more is more", but how much "more" will it take to make you happy? That's what people need to think about and consider. If you're always looking for "more", you'll never see -and appreciate- all that you already have.
~Michelle :)
Although I agree it is definitely not fair for any child to live in poverty and to be stuck with the stigmatism of being "poor", I do think that it builds character in children to not have everything the next door neighbour has. I think we have to teach our children what is important in life and material things don't place high on my list. A roof over the head, nutrious food on the table, and parents who know where their kids are, what they are doing and who their friends are is what is most important. Money can't buy love....
There is absolutely no excuse for poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. Women and children are most at risk of living in poverty, and part of me thinks that is why we have done nothing to stop it. The federal government vowed to elimiate child poverty by 2000 - now, in 2008 it is more prevelent than ever. It's time to hold them accountable!
For Heaven's sake - we are talking about children in poverty here! Sharon, it may build character for children to have less than those around them, but it also builds children into criminals, creates adults with mental illnesses and hopelessness. It matters a lot whether the poverty is temporary and by choice (a lot of university attending parents fit here) or whether you are asking your children to support a new business venture. But when parents (often single parents) are simply unemployed, injured at work, disabled etc then children grow up outside of the mainstream, not "fitting in" and therefore ready to be an outsider. That does not bode well for our social order ( such as it is) Please support Bill, who I have never met but admire. I saw the story in the Herald this morning! Good luck to you! Also, in this time of a federal election - pay attention to what the parties say federally as the Liberal and Conservative governments of the last 25 years have increased poverty - no tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, have helped decrease it - we need a new approach. I'll be supporting the NDP, but it is important to raise an issue for all parties.
Wow Bill, I admire your caring and active attitude toward helping eliminate poverty. God will bless you and you are a treasure to humanity. I look forward to following your story.
It is unfortunate that your choice of examples point to so much that is wrong with the world. Irony: "the thought of a child never being to MacDonalds"--when this kind of chain restaurant offers employment below the poverty line, without benefits. "McJobs" are a byword for underemployment. And it is also symptomatic of the kind of mass-food-without-nutrition mentality that is causing childhood obesity even among the poor. I agree that poverty must be dealt with but the value system holding up "the sneakers that everyone else has" and McDonalds as not just necessary but desirable for a good childhood--that I don't agree with at all.
Mc Donald is not healthy though.
Thank you Bill for your caring and commitment and your willingness to bring more awareness to this important issue.
I have to say I agree more with Sharon's evaluation of the situation more than with Margaret Anne's. Hunger is one thing, new sneakers is another. I raised 4 kids below the poverty line who were almost totally clothed from Frenchies... we taught them to value their talents, their good works, family and friends and to look to those areas for self-esteem. Now, thanks to their hard work at summer jobs, our hard work and our generous student loan programs, 3 of the 4 have finished university and are in good-paying professions.
It is important that children have sufficient nutrition to allow growth and learning - I do not believe that they need to go to McDonald's. It was a treat when our kids to go there. BYW, eating lots of local potatoes, beans, carrots, etc., they all stayed fit and trim until they moved out of our house and started eating junk food! Now 3 of the 4 are overweight! The ironies of life....
This is such a complex issue and there are no easy solutions. Throwing government money at the situation will not solve the problem, but will merely create more dependency. What really hurts is when you see a family without skills and desperately in need, but because they don't meet specific qualification criteria, they can't get help... or when people want to get work experience to improve their resumes, and then find that every dollar they earned working is clawed back by the government from their payments they receive. It is this type of thing which perpetuates poverty. People should be rewarded for working and learning new skills. What incentive is there for them to work if their earned money is taken away from them? IMHO, government should be involved in making education and skills training more accessible, so that people are left without excuse for not being able to make a decent living.
The new initiative being introduced by NS Labour & Workforce Development in 2009 which will allow non-EI and non-welfare recipients (who presently slip through the cracks) to access funds for skills training will go a long way to providing opportunities for the working poor to improve their situations. Maybe we will always have the poor with us as the Bible says, but we must work to make those numbers as small as possible. Congratulations Bill on your great work.
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