Poverty is defined as a lack of money or material possessions. I believe the word poverty goes much deeper than that. When we think of the well being of children, we must think about the "whole child"...is the child receiving social and emotional stability as well as getting their basic needs of food, clothes, and shelter. For a child to not receive the social and emotional support from a nurturing source for their healthy development to me is living in poverty just as well as if they lacked money or material possessions. The organization known as Whole Child International works in existing children's institutions to improve the quality of care and help that prevents children from having a desolate future. Meghan Lopez is the country director of the Nicaragua Whole Child International organization. Their goal is to ensure that all people who care for young children understand their need for attachment, know that they can effectively provide it in their existing settings, and that they are able and empowered to make it happen. Most recently in Nicaragua the organization has made improvements to the environments in one of its centers by adding play area spaces and sandboxes. Environments are very crucial because they can either serve to support an nurturing attachment between caregiver and child or make one more difficult. The children from infant age to 13 years of age have really enjoyed the investigating the sandbox that has been placed in one of the centers. What is more exciting is the fact that the caregivers at the centers have gotten into the sandbox with the children and have been able to build on their relationships with the children through strong and loving bonds. Secure attachments are at the core of a child's emotional health and well being. I look forward to continuing my conversation with Ms. Lopez and learning more about Whole Child International.
Reference:
Whole Child International. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.wholechild.org/home.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment