This week, I chose to review the challenges that children in Indonesia face. For as long as I can remember, I've read about how beautiful the mountains and beaches there are and I want to see if for myself. It was the first place I thought about when preparing for this assignment. Although this is a popular tourist destination and one would think that the tourism pours into the economy and trickles down to the local communities, I was somewhat surprised when I researched the poverty stats in the UNICEF website.
Attendance in early childhood education alone is only 17%; 7% of children ages 5-17 are engaged in child labor; only 22% use water that is piped (or considered sanitary); 61% of the population uses basic sanitation services (even 20% of the population practices open defecation); and only 80% of women receive postnatal care within 2 days of giving birth. On a positive note, the youth literacy rate (ages 15-24 years) is at 100%.
Growing up in conditions like this can be detrimental to a child's emotional well being and development. According to Wood, "Prolonged exposure to stress hormones impacts the developing brain and impairs the connection of brain circuits, which are especially vulnerable as they are developing during early childhood." Being subjected to these conditions, especially during early childhood (the formative years) can have a long-lasting impact on children. As an early childhood professional, I realize the impact of not having a solid foundation. This makes me want to do everything I can to ensure children have everything that they need. However, I cannot assume anything about their situations. I must make an effort to establish a relationship with their families to understand their situations and help them in any way I can.
Wood, R. (2015). The importance of safe, stable and nurturing environments for young children. The
Olympian. Retrieved from https://www.theolympian.com/living/health-
fitness/article26120254.html
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Farewell and Best Wishes
Throughout this course, I have learned a number of important information regarding childcare but there are three that stand out to me....
Alvia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your research. I agree that we often feel the tourist destinations are not going to be a poor location, however, many of these destinations have towns which are poor that the tourist do not always see. I think this could be true for many of the Caribbean destinations we love to travel to. Due to the fact that many children participate in child labor takes away from their time of education and being a child. This will impact a child's development and requires a child to grow up much sooner than they should.
Thank you for sharing!
Brianna
Alvia,
ReplyDeleteMy first thoughts when I think about Indonesia are their beautiful beaches, landscapes, and culture. Being such a popular tourist destination it makes it hard to see and accept the actual hardship Indonesian children are facing. The low number of school attendance, child labor, and the unsanitary conditions are hard to read, image living in those conditions. Research have proven that living under these conditions can be traumatizing to a young child and affects their development , brain structure, and learning. Thank you for your research.
Paola
Alvia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your blog, you are not the first person to post about Indonesia, and i find the country of origin very interesting! As you stated, it is very wrong to make assumptions about a family. Being so, taking the time and using your five techniques to understand the family and their culture would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure!