Nov. 14, 2008
4:41
This week I read an article about children who are being forced out of school. A young 14-year-old boy by the name of Paul Katana, who is staying out of school due to a lack of food and water, after a harsh drought. Instead he is working on the Mombasa-Malindi highway trying to sell snacks.
Every day the number of dropouts is increasing. It’s harder and harder for the children to focus on their studies when they have to think about issues like where and when they can get clean water or if they’ll have a meal to eat that might. The school times are starting to change and work around the convince of children. They don’t have school in the afternoon because at lunch hardly any children come back. They would rather go home and help their children. Many parents have stopped sending their children to school all together. They know that without their help, they wouldn’t be able to provide for the whole family.
In Kenya, some of the schools in Malindi had been targeted for school feeding as part of an emergency program due to the drought. The government has recognized that the worst-off areas are in more need of programs like this and are doing their best to assist them as much as possible.
It amazes me that children here in America take education for granted, when others like the ones in Kenya can hardly go because they have to take care of their family. This makes me think twice about skipping out on class
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81429
1 comment:
You're right about the skipping class thing. It is sad that US kids are so against learning and going to school. They are very privledged people who are taking such a great thing for granted. I think that if they knew that there are kids out there in other parts of the world who are already working and supporting their families, that they would be a little more grateful for what they have here in America.
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