Poverty in Grenada

Flag                                                                                                                      

Rural poverty in Grenada
Some of the stressors that impact the development of children in Grenada are as a result of poverty caused by hurricanes and poor in-balances.

According to the IFAD, (2007), Grenada has one of the highest unemployment rates in the Caribbean (about 15 per cent). Unemployment is particularly high among young people and people living in rural areas. The causes of poverty in Grenada are complex. They are related to historical and economic factors, including the vulnerability of the economy because of the country's small size and its exposure to natural disaster. The destructive tropical storms and hurricanes that roar through the islands are a factor in keeping poor people from overcoming poverty. Although the country is small, Grenada shows a wide disparity of living standards, and areas of extreme poverty. About 32 per cent of all people are poor, and almost 13 per cent are extremely poor. Poverty is a predominantly rural problem, driving many young people from family-run farms to look for work in urban areas or abroad.

Rural poverty in Grenada (2007). Retrieved January 28, 2011 from  http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/country/home/tags/grenada
www.spiceislandertalks.com

The effects of poverty on children’s development

COGNITIVE

·         Short attention span in school because the mind is always thinking about food

·         Low motivation to learn

·         Learning disabilities                                         

·         Illiteracy

·         Lack of support for the child

Retrieved February 4, 2011 from

http://ddmt.vaniercollege.qc.ca/~s0330431/ece/effects.htm

Impact of Poverty on Physical Health of Children in general

According to David Wood (2003), numerous studies have demonstrated that poverty is associated with higher rates of poor health and chronic health conditions in children. National surveys find that compared with parents who are not poor, parents who are poor more often rate their children’s health as "fair" or "poor" and are less likely to rate their children’s health as "excellent."Children who are poor have higher rates of hospital admissions, disability days, and death rates. They have inadequate access to preventive, curative, and emergency care and are affected more frequently by poor nutrition, single-parent families, dysfunctional families, and poor housing.

Wood, D., (2003, September 3). Impact of poverty on physical health of children. Journal, 112(6), 707-711. Retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/112/3/S1/70

Poverty and psychosocial outcomes

• Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems.
• Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder.
• Some emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
• Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children

American Psychological Association (2011).  Effects of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness on Children and Youth. Retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx

What is being done to minimize the harm?
 
Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas (2009), has pledged to decentralize services and forge ahead with poverty alleviation efforts, following the release of a report on the poor in the island.

Poverty reports a ‘wake up call’ for Grenada. Retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/17150.html

Nazim Burke, Finance Minister (2009), has expressed the determination of the current government of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas to address poverty and other social problems confronting the nation. A number of projects are being put in place to help reduce poverty. This is with the help of the following organizations: European Commission (EC);Major development projects, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, Bilateral (AIDA), Multilaterals (AIDA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and OPEC Fund For International Development (OFID), 

References

Poverty reports a ‘wake up call’ for Grenada. Retrieved February 4,, 2011 from http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/17150.html

 Grenada poverty reduction projects and programs. Retrieved February 4, 2011

http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/country/projects/tags/grenada

Consequences of stressors on childhood's development

POVERTY, POVERTY, and POVERTY

Many years ago one of my favorite calypso artists of the Caribbean, the mighty Shadow, sang “Poverty is hell!”  As a young girl I didn’t care to think of the meaning of the song, but as I grew older I have seen people living in that hell. Some people explained the    meaning of the song as lack of hope but I saw it as lack of resources for family and their children.

 Joey, a thirteen year old boy is the first of nine children in a family who struggled for years to make ends meet.  Lack of food, clothes, medical care, lack of clean water, and the only thing that had them going was the farine a staple made with cassava roots. At times Joey could not go to school because he had to care for his siblings as his mother went out to make the day’s work.  Many times when things were rough Joey would go to the neighbor’s house and beg for food to feed the younger siblings. Sometimes he was successful, other times he would be shamed away.  I remember seeing Joey sitting with both hands under his chin and tears running down his cheeks.  Poor thing!

 It was in 1980 one year after the Grenada Revolution, things seemed a little above the clouds for Joey. The government provided crops to villages and Joey and his mother decided to invest in planting corn, and peas.  They took advantage of the free food supplies like; butter, low fat milk, flour, brown sugar and white rice.  Joey an times had to cook and he prepared just enough for them to eat. He puts the food on the outside fire side using dried sticks and an old burnt pan, and waited close by the fire until the food was cooked. Sometimes they had one meal for the day and the smaller siblings would be fed milk with farine when there was milk, or bush tea, while the others would eat green mangoes in salt or ripe mangoes and golden apple.  

Mango tree with fruit used as a meal

Used dried sticks to make the fire for cooking

 Life for Joey became tougher when his mother got ill. Joey never went back to school. He harvested the corn and peas and sold it. He worked for the neighbor cutting the grass and helping to feed the animals.  As years went by Joey’s siblings became more independent and so when the government introduced the program C. P. E. or center for popular education, Joey took the opportunity and went back to the adult classes.  He was successful in his classes and thus was able to get employment to help take care of his mother and his siblings.

Corn field 

  

  

    Donkey

  

 Kinds of animals Joey looked after to earn money to help take care of his mother and siblings.

images retrieved January 29, 2011 from http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1R2ADSA_enUS399&q=poverty+in+grenada&pdl=3000&wrapid=tljp129632503735908&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1276&bih=515

Public Health Issue/India

CHILD AND MATERNAL NUTRITION IN INDIA

The PNADM627 report states:

“Malnutrition in India has been called ‘The Silent Emergency’.  The proportion of under-nutrition among children and women in India is one of the highest in the world.  India is committed to halving the prevalence of underweight children by 2015 as indicators of progress towards the Millennium Development Goal.”

Statistics from the National fact sheet provided by the International Institute for Population Sciences (September, 2007), shows that, malnutrition is the major underlying cause of 50% of deaths among children. 8.3 million Babies are born low birth weight. Nearly 46% of children under 3 years of age are underweight. 25.5 million or 1 in 3 children, under 3 years of age are stunted 9low height for age) as a result of poor nutrition. 13 million, or 1 in 5, children below three years of age are wasted (low weight for height). Only 1 in 5 children 6 to 23 months of age receive the recommended appropriate feeding.

WHAT WORKS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS IN INDIA

According to the information provided by the support of the American people through the USAID what works for India include

• Effective programs for infants and early feeding practices.
• Breast feeding within the first hour of life.
• Complementary feeding with or without provisions of food supplements.
• General supportive strategies for improving family and community nutrition and reducing disease burden.

WHAT MORE IS NEEDED?

• Political commitment
• Significant increase in resources
• Targeting children less than 2 years of age for improved quality, quantity, and frequency of infant and young child feeding.
• A better understanding of the direct and indirect causes of malnutrition.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3) (2005 – 2006), India: Volume 1, and National            

Fact Sheet, International institute for population sciences, Mumbai.

Retrieved January 12, 2011, from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADM627.pdf

Public Health Issue

NUTRITION/MALNUTRITION

Berger (2009) claimed that “For most newborns, good nutrition starts with the mother’s milk “(p. 155). The National Center for infants, toddlers, and families (2011), states:

"After birth, brain growth depends critically on the quality of a child's nutrition. Breast milk offers the best mix of nutrients for promoting brain growth, provided that breast-fed infants receive some form of iron supplementation beginning around six months of age. (Most infant cereals are fortified with iron, and breast-fed babies require this supplementation at six months whether or not their mothers are iron-deficient.) Iron deficiency has been clearly linked to cognitive deficits in young children. Iron is critical for maintaining an adequate number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, which in turn are necessary to fuel brain growth. Bottle-fed babies should receive formula that contains iron."

Very often we hear that iron is important for building youngsters strong bones and teeth. Lack of iron deficiency can lead to anemia, poor mental and behavioral function, which may not be reversible even if the anemia is corrected. Before six months of age, full-term babies are born with iron stores that they use for normal growth and development. There is also iron in breast milk, which is very well absorbed by the infant. Exclusive breastfeeding is encouraged for the first six months and should continue for two years and beyond along with a variety of iron rich foods (Eileen Bennwith, 2011). As a parent, I was encouraged to feed my baby on high iron foods; meat, beans, eggs, and iron fortified cereals, which were needed for proper growth and development of the baby. When infants are not given the proper nutrition they can become malnourished. Berger (2009) claimed that “malnourished children have no body reserves to protect them against common diseases” (Berger, 2009, p. 157).

Serious consequences can occur if children do not get enough nutrition. The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families (2011), states that malnourished children have smaller brains due to a "reduced dendritic growth, reduced myelination and the production of fewer glia." The smaller size can result in behavioral and cognitive problems, which  can impede a child's performance in school.

In summary, the International Food Policy Research Institute (January, 2002), documented that the health impact of early childhood under nutrition include stunting, wasting, anemia, blindness and infectious disease. Less well known are the high economic costs. Under nutrition can delay brain development, impair academic performance and reduce productivity in later life.

Berger, K. S., (2009). The developing person through childhood.

            New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Eileen Bennewith.  (2010, May 14). Iron is important for youngsters. Harbour City Star, 22.  Retrieved     

            January 12, 2011, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 2034536091).

http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/pqdweb?did=2034536091&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD

International food policy institute, (January, 2002). Improving early childhood nutrition. Retrieved

January 12, 2011 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/71855-importance-nutrition- early-brain-growth/#ixzz1AsN6oudl

National center for infants, toddlers, and families. (2011). Zero to Three. Retrieved January 12, 2011,

            from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ

PERSONAL BIRTHING EXPERIENCE

BIRTH OF MY SON

My husband came home at around 4:30 PM and we immediately drove about 50 minutes to the hospital.  The delivery lasted over four (4) hours.

I was admitted due to mild contractions, but soon then my water broke.  I was examined once, twice, three times, and was asked to rest. By then the pain was unbearable, I threw up once, twice, asked for water, but did not get it. Then another examination by another nurse, and shots pushed through my thigh. Not long after, my doctor came, examined and said, “The baby is not turned, the face is facing up.” My husband asked, “Is there a problem with that?”  “Well if the baby didn’t turn face down in about half hour we would have to give a caesarian.” The doctor responded.  My husband held my hand and squeezed it tightly. The pain worsened, I could have felt the baby’s head pushing down. My husband’s hands were shaking, and wet, and I was screaming.  I heard the doctor saying to my husband, “You would have to leave for a while.”   The doctor gave another examination and asked the nurse to prepare me up for caesarian. I was hooked up to the oxygen tank and different wires all over my body.  The doctor then made a final examination and said, “The baby’s head is almost out with face up.” “Let’s help her!” One of the nurses said. So they asked me to push.   I pushed, and pushed. I felt weak and couldn’t push again. This time my husband came back into the room. He held my hands and pleaded saying, “Just make a bigger push honey and he’ll be out.”  The doctor monitored every step of his delivery because he did not want water and blood from the delivery to enter my son’s nostrils. With a deep breath I made a stronger push and there he was with face up.  The doctor picked him up immediately and wiped his face. He was placed on my chest immediately, and I was so exhausted all I could do was placed my hands on his little warm body. He was a healthy baby having all the physical parts noticed. Then the nurse took my son to bathe him while another nurse helped clean up getting the placenta out and giving me a change of clothing. I was bleeding a lot and so I was given some pills.  At this point I could not care less; I just wanted to go rest. The nurse and my husband held my hand and walked me to my room where my son was waiting.  I placed my body very close to him and put the breast into his mouth. He sucked and sucked until both my son and I fell asleep.

I promised myself this was the last pregnancy and there was no denying because after twelve (12) years my son still remains my last baby. 

I chose this example because of my four deliveries; the last one was the most horrific, frightening, and most lengthy.  According to the saying, “Who feels it, knows it!”

Choose a region of the world or country, other than the USA and find out how births happen there

GRENADA

Throughout Grenada’s history, the birth of a child has been attended by certain rituals. Today, with most children born in hospitals and prenatal and post-partum activities conforming to western medical guidelines, many birth rituals have disappeared. Their replacements include the use of incubators, catheters and the calculation of Apgar scores.

Not so long ago, many Grenadian children were born at home and subject to a number of different actions, none of which included scores of any kind. Some of them were similar, however, to those found in other cultures. In Grenada birth rituals were overseen by midwives, and varied from place to place, depending on race and class. All, however, reflected a deep sense of connection to, and respect for, the spirit world. Today, retentions are strongest in rural areas.

In preparation for the birth the room had to have a Rosary or the Bible opened at the bed’s head. A bottle of castor oil, and a candy or sweetie as we called it was placed on the dresser for the mother to drink as soon as the delivery occurred. This was used as a laxative to cleanse the inside. A scissors to cut the navel string or umbilical cord, and a piece of white torn sheet to band, or tie the mother’s belly, and a  pail of hot steaming bush water for mother to sit on to help with the pain after birth and to help the healing of the uterus.

During delivery the midwife will be in control and take care of the mother. As the baby is born the mother is encouraged by the midwife to start breastfeeding. Then she will press down over and over again on the mother’s belly to get the afterbirth out. Once it was out it was buried immediately to avoid stinky smells in and around the house. The baby’s navel string was cut and it was buried in a special location and the navel was then dressed with grated nutmeg. Not only was that, but a tree was planted on that spot which became the child’s property. I remember planting a plum tree on my first child’s navel string a few days after delivery. This symbolizes a spiritual attachment to a place, comes from. The tree became the child's property and that of his/her future progeny. This is said to have helped to reinforce the concept of 'family land' that is passed down from generation to generation. After birth  the mother was asked to sit on the pail of hot bush water (Poor thing) for a few minutes at a time. Then a plate of bluggoe, (that is similar to green bananas) was served with salted fish and coconut oil, tomatoes and some homemade lime juice. This was a meal that contained iron minerals to help replace the iron lost during birth.

There are more differences than similarities. Most of the differences are based on the cultural backgrounds, and traditions of different villages. For one thing most of the rituals might seem weird and some of the processes might seem dangerous to the people in the U S A.  I can tell you it might seem complicated and scary, but it was done with care and caution. My mom went through it with my delivery in the home.

The similarities might seem few, however what is common is the idea that mothers are encouraged to breast fed the babies which is a good thing for the baby’s development and bonding.

What additional insights, if any, about the impact of the birthing experience ondevelopment, did you gain from this comparison?

There are cultural differences as it relates to birth and childhood development and childbirth practices reflect traditional ideologies.