A day in the life of a Somalia Child

 

Somalia has one of the most troubled histories of any “modern” country. After World War 2 the country gained independence from Britain and with that fell into communism relatively quickly. This communism eventually led to a dictatorship that would ravage the country economically. Fed up with the countries state of affairs a Civil war began between the countries people and its government. This war disrupted food distribution between the country and further damaged the already staggering economy of the country. Hundreds of thousands left the warring country and what remained at the end of the conflict was a very torn apart country devoid of any true rule system. Piracy is openly committed by some of the poorer members of the country as a way to supplement supplies that its country is lacking. What effect this has on the countries children is massive.

 

Children can attend one of 722 classrooms set up throughout the country. A child can go to school for the initial 8 years of grade school and may progress into secondary school if they so choose. Children are taught geography, math, and English as well as agriculture and Arabic. Lessons last 36 to 40 minutes.  Somali has seen an increase of 27% attendance in recent years. Higher education is largely private with options in the hundreds as to where to attend.

 

Health care in Somalia is somewhat slippery.  One in 10 children will die in childbirth. 70% of the country goes about un inoculated which is reflected in the average life span of a somolian being 47.

 

One special problem facing the children of Somalia is the Prevalence of child Soldiers. The U.N has fought with Somalia several times over its refusal to stop the use of Child Soldiers.  The children are conscripted at age 8 and are deployed around age 12. Somalia uses these children as disposable attackers in various conflicts. Something disturbing to note is the U.S funds the Somalian military and recently has had to take steps to assure they were not the ones funding the children. 

 

Sources

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/world/africa/17somalia.html

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1361394.stm

 

http://www.wes.org/ca/wedb/somalia/soedov.htm

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-10-10/news/0810090770_1_somalia-ground-for-industrial-waste-pirates

​A day in Jordan

THIS IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO 

My life and there life is quite different. I don't have to worry about having to worry about having to struggle for getting my food or even being able to go to school each day. I have always been able to attend school and some of these kids don't have that privilege. It would bother me that i had to go out every day as a kid working extremely hard to get food, and than coming home and having to cook or eat a meal with what ever i could find. Plus they are always being checked for diseases so that would affect me to always thinking i could potentially have a disease of some sort.     

​Here is my project

When I was 12, my day from 7:00am-2:00am was about the same. The only difference was that I was taking SEPTA to school rather than walking. When I came home, I didn't have to pick coconuts or go sell fishes I had just caught, I would just have to clean my room, and maybe sweep the house. However, when I turned 13, I started helping my father with his business a couple times per week. I stopped attending church when I was about ten, and those are the main differences in our day to day lives.

I expected most of the poverty I saw while I was researching because most indigenous people are on the lower end of their new societies. I didn't expect the boys and girls to have equal schooling opportunities from first grade to high-school. The poor children usually don't make it to high-school, but there is no real difference between boys and girls.

There are no real opportunities for indigenous children of the Marshall Islands. In order for a child's education to continue past eighth grade, they need to pay for school. The indigenous population usually can't afford to send their children to high-school, so they stay at home and their lives turn into whatever their mother/fathers life is. Eventually the male will choose a wife from another tribe (usually a distant cousin) and the cycle of life will continue.

For the assignment, the day in the life of a 12-year, I did a day in the life of a 12-year-old boy in Thailand. What I found out is that life in Thailand for a 12-year old boy is really similar to the life as a 12-old in the United States, in regards to education, hobbies, and even family. It is important that all children go to school in Thailand. In Thailand children are considered as the most valuable resource to the country; so they are cared for. The Thai has a saying that goes like this, "Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, the country will be prosperous."