Living in a world where almost everything is a struggle can have adverse effects on the psychology of children, it shuts down their ability to dream of a better future, for if they Dare to dream, what is the guarantee it would become reality. That is the reason why kids from rural areas, barely see a future beyond the survival mode, when finding means to feed twice a day is a hassle, what more could they expect from life.
People who live in the poverty spectrum suffer ranging issues such as; improper hygiene, poor nutrition, bad housing situation. Other effects include;
The children have known hard labor all their lives, to the point it is now a normalised system for them. Working from dawn to dusk at menial jobs such as hawking or cultivating farmlands or as apprentices at workshops where they run errands and receive either food tokens or stipends is what they become accustomed to.
For the girls of some rural communities, most are groomed to be married off to the highest bidder to at least bring in a new land to the family’s name or cattles for milking, to aid the family’s survival. This is the life they have grown accustomed to with no silver lining in their gray sky.
Falling ill is always a big deal, as there are no solid systems that can treat common health issues like food poisoning, infections from the unhealthy environments, lack of prenatal care leads to either mother and child loss or both. lots of lives are lost due to improper health care,
There is usually a lack of proper hygiene and nutrition, since balanced diet is program that they do not comprehend, and hygiene is an afterthought to most as their sights are set on surviving the day and more to come.
The lack of enlightenment is what volunteers struggle against, when these locals have lived this way for a long period it is quite a struggle to help them break out of the circle. Getting them to work smarter rather than harder makes them see the aid offered as a destruction of beliefs passed from generation to generation. The systems most NGOs adopt is to find a pain point and cater to it so the people trust them and become more receptive of outside influence.
These pain points are lack of basic amenities of life, such as good food, clean water, proper waste disposal systems, clothing and shelter, and health care services.
A situation where by an NGO weekly sends trucks to remote villages to deliver food products organized in family rations to the elders, who then distribute these packs to the people, or a group of volunteers build a water supply system that would provide water for the community and relieve them of having to work long distance to natural water resources to get the water they use for household activities. After a while these people become receptive and are more open to ideas such as education for their children seeing it as a path that will open opportunities for their children and give them an advantage in the fast paced changing world.
As volunteers it is our duty to make life easier for those who can’t afford to do so themselves, to give them hope that there is life beyond surviving daily. That when given the right tool such as education, these children can bring change and live better lives, and through support programs they can be taught to dream of better lives and a future outside what they are used to.