Hour Children

The rush to get dressed and ready is real. It's the first day of service through YSOP (Youth service opportunities project) and we do not know what to expect. The first question the coordinator asked us when we got there was 'What are the causes of poverty?' There were several answers such as unemployment, single parent family, domestic violence, generational,  the system and even more. I struggle answering the question because I live in two different cultures: Vietnamese and American. Thus I have 2 different perspectives of what a rich and poor country look like. Poverty in my parents' home land, Vietnam, can be extreme with malnutrition and the government provides little help. What I have discovered through this class so far is that poverty is not a set line and that it varies from perspective.

I am becoming more accepting of this 'relative poverty' that Iceland introduced on his book. As discussed in Iceland, relative poverty is based on social standards such as economic, social, and cultural development. It is constantly changing as society and needs change. A good way to put it is that the basic needs are met but people are not able move up in the social ladder due to lack of resources like quality education, healthcare, or cultural goods. Hour Children, the organization that YSOP sent us to, helped me to see that poverty and people who need help exists even in a high GDP per capital country. Hour Children is a non profit that provides training programs, day care, after school program,  housing, and has food pantries for current and former incarcerated mothers. Jake pointed out that the target clients may come out of prison wondering what to do next and if anyone is going to be there outside the gates waiting for them. For pregnant mothers in prison, their babies are taken away from them after a period time that can range from 2 days to 18 months. Hour Children explained that they chose to service incarcerated mothers because they may have gone to jail or prison trying to provide for their families. They may have been sentenced for theft, drug dealing, and prostitution in order to provide for their family. What would you do if you were in their position and your children were hungry? My family is a refugee family and the decision to leave Vietnam was because my family kept struggling with food. My grandpa was sent to prison for 5 years because he supported the US during the war. During those 5 years my mom dropped out of high school to find a job, yet employers shunned her because of this US connection. We smuggled and bribed illegally, so that her family can have a chance to live.

These women, who are clients of Hour Children, are given a chance to find a better way to provide for their families. At the site the kids were split into 3 rooms based on age groups: babies, 1-2, pre-preschool. We were able to spend a couple hours playing and feeding the kids. The kids had a nutritious meal including fish, mash potatoes, corn, and broccoli. Emily noted that there were no TV's in any of the rooms. The caretakers were interactive and were loving to each child.

This experience reminded me of why I became a volunteer helping children since high school. The children I spent time with are children, they are not less of a child because they had an incarcerated mother. No child, no matter what background they come from should starve. Thousands of children die everyday from malnutrition and that is ridiculous when we see food being thrown away in America. Let's invest in all children whether that is through donations, volunteering, or most importantly: raising awareness. I came into this class thinking that American poverty is nothing compared to poverty in develping countries, because I have been told misleading statistics such as the bottom 10% of the US lives better than the top 10% of countries like India. But I was made aware of inequalities and struggles of the poor in the US. I don't know if in these 3 weeks I can completely change my perspective and accept relative poverty but with awareness and experiences... I am slowly changing.

I still believe that we should focus on extreme poverty in developing countries and this is where I find the inspiration to help others because some do not obtain the very basic of needs which is inhumane. For me it is hard to see poverty when someone has a roof over their head, electricity,  a car, and food. My initial perspective on poverty was that the poor lived only in absolute poverty meaning not being able to obtain the basic needs like water, food, clothing, and shelter. I grew up in a family that kept telling me that beggars are lazy and are eating up our money for their benefits. But I have come to terms through this class that someone may have a job but still be poor in the US because living standards vary by geographic location. Living in the US, one has different standards and necessities. In Vietnam, people can get to places by walking or biking. In New York, people get around by subway thus a metro card is required. In Iowa a car may be required because the DART bus system is not efficient to get to work or drop your kids off at school thus a car, gas, and insurance are needed. Everything is relative. Relative poverty changes over time based on society standards, which makes sense because cost of living rises, food costs increase, child care may be necessary, a college education is considered essential to get a good job...etc. My new perspective of poverty is struggling to make ends meet to be able to live up to society's expectations of standard living.

-Christina