Rising Above War

Billie has been my best friend since we were kids.  Billie came to the United States as a civil war refugee from El Salvador.  In the midst of the war, he and his family often woke up in the middle of the night to gunshots.  He remembers his mother pulling the mattress over him to protect him from the crossfire.  When Billie turned 5 years old, his brother was already 7, the age of the youngest soldiers fighting in the war.  Billie's parents knew it was time to leave their homeland, their families, their way of life.

His father had already come to the United States in search for work, and was granted asylum due to the horrific and violent conditions in El Salvador.  When he had found a job and a place to stay, it was time for Billie's mother, Rosa, to lead them to the border of Mexico and Texas.  

Along with his mother, older brother, and younger sister, he had to travel in the dead of night to avoid the risk of being seen, facing certain tragic ramifications if he were caught.  He remembers stepping over pools of blood and dead bodies on his way to cross the border.  As a 5 year old, Billie had seen more dead bodies and bloodshed than anyone should have to see in his lifetime. 

His parents both took great risks and sacrifices to ensure the safety of Billie and his brothers and sisters.  Through an arduous and horrifying journey, their family was able to seek refuge near Chicago, IL.  Billie's selfless parents were both hard working people and were able to make a good life for their children.  

Although he faced many trials and tribulations after being torn from his home and starting all over in a new country, Billie found his way and prospered.  He made great friends and established a wonderful support system.  He got involved with extracurricular activities and enjoyed school.  We were fortunate enough to go to college together and be part of the soccer team there.  Billie loves his current work and is starting work towards his MBA.  He will never forget the images of war, but he has had exposure and experience with many things much more pleasant.  

Today, many children face tumultuous times.  I read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini recently, and it made me think about the children of Afghanistan.  From the time the monarchy of Afghanistan fell, war and violence has plagued the country.  According to warchildholland.org, 30 years have passed without Afghani children getting a taste of peace and tranquility.  For the children of Afghanistan, the future certainly feels uncertain.  

There are groups working toward change in Afghanistan.  Many families will not be as fortunate as Billie's family was to have the opportunity to escape.  There are people who understand that something needs to be done to work towards a different future.  War Child, an organization based in Holland, the UK, and Canada, seeks groups working for young people within communities in Afghanistan.  They then share technical and financial support to create and offer creative activities to children that offer children "the chance to identify the issues most important to them and address these in a practical way."  They work to identify and serve the children in increasingly violent areas who are most vulnerable to the violence.  This organization stands behind the belief that no child should be part of war  (warchildholland.org).  I hope for a more peaceful future for the children of Afghanistan.

References  

War Child in Afganistan. Retrieved from http://www.warchildholland.org/where-we-work/afghanistan/

Our Malnourished World

Malnutrition plays a major impact in low-income neighborhoods.  In the United States, many people living on substantially limited budgets are severely overweight (Daniels, Queen, & Schumacher, 2007).   Obesity is a major concern facing the underserved community where I work.  I often feel that part of the reason many of my students struggle academically can be linked to nutrition, or lack thereof. There are, in fact, two times as many poor and obese children living in poverty compared with their more affluent counterparts (Daniels et al, 2007).

Obesity affects the body and the brain. Malnourishment makes it difficult to stay alert.  A malnourished brain struggles to be "inquisitive" (Daniels et al, 2007). Obesity causes a person to be "lethargic", and make the retention of knowledge difficult (Daniels et al, 2007). Obesity has been linked to a reduction in job opportunities, and a reduction in education (Daniels et al, 2007). 

With limitless access to fast food and other junk food, finding a healthy meal can prove difficult living in low-income areas.

• There are 2.4 fast food restaurants in low-income predominately African-American communities compared to 1.5 in predominately white neighborhoods (Daniels et al, 2007).
• Fast food companies spend $3 Billion a year on advertising to children, compared with only $3.6 million spent to promote eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables (Daniels et al, 2007).
• Local convenience stores (prevalent in low-income areas) rarely carry fresh produce. When they do, they charge 30% to 100% more than the supermarket (not prevalent in low-income areas) cost (Daniels et al, 2007).

Where is the incentive to eat healthy? Fast food is often deep fried, greasy, and salty. Many people enjoy the taste. It's cheap.  It's convenient. If someone doesn't have a car and no money for bus fare, how would they go to the supermarket? Perhaps most importantly, many people don't know the links it has to obesity, nor the impact obesity has on the mind. 

With all the money we spend on standardized testing here in the United States, it seems that we could benefit from teaching to the "whole" child. Health is important! We must treat it that way. 

Conversely, many children in parts of the world fail to grow to a normal height and weight because of malnutrition (Berger, 2012). In developing nations around the world, one third of the children suffer from not eating enough food to grow normally (Berger, 2012). In some horrible cases, some children may suffer from marasmus, a disease that stops the growth of the body, and as body tissue "wastes away," the infant eventually dies (Berger, 2012).  For some, living to be a year old seems like a longshot.  Suffering after one year of age, however, may lead to a damaged liver and weakening of the immune system.  Children then become more susceptible to serious diseases such as influenza and measles (Berger, 2012).

While the differences are substantial between the United States and developing nations, healthy biological growth needs more support.  I'm saddened thinking about both cases.  It is not simply a matter of genetics, but also the social environment that is responsible for the health of little ones.  

I know I must work to educate my students and their families about healthy eating.  I want to find ways to make healthy eating a more viable option in the community where I work.

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6^th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Daniels, D., Queen, J., & Schumacher, D. (2007). Obesity and poverty: A growing challenge. Principal, 86(3), 42-47.               Retrieved from https://my.campuscruiser.com

A Birth Story

So, you know how in the movies the pregnant mother's water breaks and everyone drops everything they're doing and rushes to the hospital, leaving the doors wide open and cruising through red lights en route to the hospital? Apparently, those may be an unnecessary steps in the birthing process.

On Thursday, June 7, 2012, my sister's water broke in the evening hours. When I heard this, I figured that her husband, Michael, was following the example set by Hollywood. I was surprised to hear that she was still at home. Being coached and counseled by her doula, Kelsey was able to wait at home for hours and hours, bathing in the whirlpool tub and experimenting with several body positions that assist in the birthing process. She was doing all she could to try to stay calm (which isn't exactly part of her nature). My sister was determined to give birth naturally. Other than her doula, she had no real intervention, she took no drugs to ease discomfort. 

It was not until Friday evening that the doula suggested it was time to head to the hospital. Once there, there were still hours ahead before a baby came. I was still in Chicago finishing up with the last few days of teaching my class before summer break, but several of my family members followed Kelsey and her husband Michael to the hospital in New Jersey, sending me text messages to update me on anything new.

Waiting and waiting, we all wondered what was going on in that hospital room. It's not supposed to take this long! In the movies, that water breaks and the birth happens in the cab on the way to the hospital. What's happening here?

Kelsey pushed for 5 and a half hours, well past the point that the doctors wanted to wait for this natural birth to happen. They wanted to perform a Caesarian Section because it had been over 24 hours since her water broke. Because her doula was there and was competent in her assistance, the doctors agreed to allow Kelsey to continue to push. And push. And push. 

When the baby started trying to arrive, the head was not exactly flying out of there, in fact, there was serious concern that his head didn't have enough room to be delivered. The doctors eventually had to use some kind of suction cup tool and suction the head out (don't worry, the cone head didn't last). 

The scary part, which I just recently learned, is that the doctors informed Kelsey and Michael that without the suctioning, it would have been possible that we could have lost the baby, and maybe even my sister. With the help of the doula and the doctors at the hospital, a new beautiful baby cone-head free boy, Isaac, was welcomed into the world on the morning of June 9, 2012. 

I was thrilled to hear the news. Everyone was healthy, and we had a new baby boy in the family! I don't have any of my own children, and Kelsey is my only sibling. This was her first child, so this was really the first time that I had a vested interest in a birth, which is why I chose this story to share. Plus, my nephew Isaac is pretty much my favorite thing in the world, so sharing it came pretty naturally.

Comparing this story to a birth story that took place in Ghana, the birth process seems very intricate, regardless of where it happens. When a healthy baby is brought into the world, it is a beautiful occurrence (maybe not esthetically pleasing during the actual birth, but certainly once the baby arrives).   Berger (2012) shares the example of a home birth in Ghana. Home birth is much more common in other areas of the world than it is in the United States. In this story, the midwife sits without saying a word, watching the silent expecting mother curled on the floor on her side in the corner of her hut. The mother-to-be suddenly sits up into a baseball catcher's position with a gentle grumble and the midwife supports her back. Suddenly, a baby's head slowly emerges. The mother doesn't make a sound, the midwife doesn't make a sound. Suddenly, a breathing baby is born. He's not crying. He is breathing. The midwife gently places the baby in the mother's arms. He's not crying because it had been a gentle birth.    

What if it hadn't been? What if there were complications? In my sister's case, I think she would have actually preferred a home birth. Less exposure to unneeded interventions, more comfort.  I'm happy that it didn't happen that way, however, because as it turned out, she needed medical attention from the doctors. An emergency ambulance ride to the hospital could have been disastrous. I suppose it's possible that the midwife in Ghana could have figured out a way to deliver the baby had it not been the gentle birth that it was. Although if not, what happens then? In the United States, we are fortunate to have access to quality health care when needed. I feel that rather than high quality health care being the privilege that it is, it should be the rule throughout the world.