April 16, 2021

Respected Sir,

Below i will try to answer all your questions according to my knowledge and my situation :

1) Q:- What are you guys doing for food ?

Ans:- For food now we depend on our parents. because cab work is reduced due o covid-19 and i have to sit at home even if i do not want to. Due to the income of Honey, some personal expenses were coming out. But the School has been closed until month of july. Due to work from home, she is getting half salary only 2500/- Rs. and now you tell me how anyone can run his home only with 2500/- Rupees. How he can take care of his children. In the period of covid -19, we are taking all goods on loan from outside to meet the needs of the children and the home. it is just a feeling that life has become borrowed!. we can not put so much burden on our parents. because there are so many types of household expenses. I am thankful to god if our parents do not help us for food. I would probably have to live on the road at this covid -19 time.

2) Q:- What are other people doing for food?

Ans:- if some do not have jobs and work then Some people will be like me who are taking help from their parents, Friends or relatives. There will be some people living with money taken from outside. some people are finishing their savings. All i can say is at this pedmic time, everyone is trying to run their home in some way or the other way.

3) Q:- Where do people get money for food in the slum?

Ans:- According to my knowledge, slum people don't have any food issues, Because every city has  NGOs  Society they help them.they provide the grocery to needy poor peoples and also rich people, politicians donate food in slum areas to show the public. The second thing is that they have work. because they mostly do labour jobs, drive rickshaws and other small work . so in slum areas no food problem. even in lockdown period.

4) Q:- Do the kids have any lessons online?

Ans:- Yes, due to covid-19 school has been closed until the next govt order, so school starts online classes for next session. But some children and their families, who can not afford smart mobile phones. It is very difficult for them to attend online classes.I have 3 kids even though we can not afford a smartphone phone for kids to attend online classes.Very difficult to manage and this is an extra burden on parents.

5) Q:- What happens when a student cannot afford the internet ?

Ans:- There are some students whose parents have no smartphones, some who come to school for two hours to complete their work. 

6) Q:- The School fees you paid for your kids, will you be able to continue next school year without further fees after the lockdown?

Ans:- We paid last session pending fees to school. Now the next session is starting but we have not yet admitted our children because we have no funds for admission, books,or uniforms and other expenses.���

7) Q:- How do people make payments on rent and mortgages?

Ans:- God knows how people survive in this time. Because not a single help from the government. Neither the rich man has made any difference and nor has the poor man. only middle class men are in the worst condition. Because the middle man can neither become rich nor can live like a poor man. The middle man  always keeps ringing like a bell in the middle.

8) Q:- is the farmers strike still taking place?

Ans:- Yes, Still farmers on strike. 

9) Q:- What are you eating?

Ans:-  we eating only food & Medicines ( problems, our depression, mentaly stress,internal hatred and our tears).

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With Regards

Amandeep Singh

Do you know how to spell your name? If so, you’re already many steps ahead of millions of children in third world countries. Whether in Africa, India, South America, or elsewhere, young people around the world face constant barriers in getting an education—and that can have profound, lifelong consequences.

However, some people would do anything to ensure that these children receive the schooling that they need and deserve. For three teachers across the globe, making sure that children receive an education isn’t just an interest—it’s a duty.

 Inspiring Stories of Amazing Teachers 

Everyone has probably had that one teacher who made a difference in their life. But for children who can’t typically access education due to political conflict, cost, geography, poverty, and even the COVID-19 pandemic, a few teachers have stepped up in their communities to bring them the schooling they need.

Going the Distance

The sun is up early in the small region of Prey Veng in Cambodia, but the ardent teacher Seng is up even earlier. Attaching a cart to the back of her motorbike, she’s off to pick up children for preschool.

For the last 15 years, Seng has managed a community preschool, but many of her students rarely attended because the facility was three or more kilometers away from their homes. Because parents often couldn’t bring the children themselves, she decided it was time to take action on her own.

Early in the morning, the familiar sound of the motorbike brings the kids out to hop into the cart, and at the end of the day, Seng makes the same trip again to drop them off at home. Thanks to her efforts, the number of children attending preschool has multiplied drastically.

Seng won’t let the geographic and opportunity failings of her impoverished regions to deny children the right to an education. And she’s doing something about it.

Bringing the Classroom Home

Across the globe in Balochistan, Pakistan, another teacher is making waves to ensure that students aren’t locked out of schooling. Najeeba saw that COVID-19 had shut down schools, and her family stopped going. Determined to ensure they continued their learning, Najeeba crafted a sanitization station outside her home and called for all the students to attend there.

In place of a closed school, Najeeba turned her home into a classroom. WhatsApp groups experienced in home schooling have flocked to help her as she manages the daunting task of educating these students—even though she is a student herself.

Najeeba refused to give in when COVID-19 shut down schools. And now, students are continuing their education through her. 

Give a gift that will make a real difference in the lives of children 

Down to the southeast of Indonesia, the small island nation of East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, a teacher named Nicolau has acquired land on which to build a school accessible to more students than ever before.

With educational facilities miles out of reach for many rural families, Nicolau was upset—even at his own situation. Forced out of school at a young age himself due to political conflict, Nicolau vowed to bring education to those less fortunate. He recalled that during the time he was in school, the situation was so dire that even 17-year-olds were still studying in Grade 1 because they did not have the time or opportunity to attend regularly.

Convincing the local parents and authorities that a school was worthwhile proved to be a challenge—they believed that since girls were meant to get married and men to work, schooling was a pointless use of time. However, Nicolau never gave up, and his convincing prompted an important official to gift the land on which his school was built.

Now, with access to proper educational tools and even critical resources like water, the community is flourishing. 

Conclusion 

These teachers have made massive impacts in the lives of their communities. However, they could not have done it alone—Nicolau’s school, for example, still required the help of charitable causes. If you would like to give the gift of life-changing education to a family in a third world country, consider donating to CFTW. We build educational and medical facilities in areas that do not have access to them so that the families living their can receive the rights to education and health that they deserve, setting themselves up for future success. Even a few dollars can buy critical materials like textbooks and access to clean water.

From the Pandemic to Poverty

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the majority of the world, it is typically developing countries and those with a high ratio of low-income individuals who are impacted the most. The World Bank, which often leads discussions on the anticipated changes or increases in the world’s poor population, estimated that between 40 and 60 million people would fall into poverty in 2020—and this estimation was largely correct. Overall, the world’s low-income population has increased to 690 million, up from 640 million in 2019.

Many of these households operate on no more than $1.90 per person per day, and even then, not all of that money is physically available; rather, the value may be assumed in part from the value of property, which does not put food on the table or provide other critical services such as healthcare. In the wake of global disasters like COVID-19, areas with high levels of poverty are often the hardest hit. Understand why is a different matter.

Why ALWAYS the Slums?

People who live in their country’s slums are generally the most at risk during global health crises, and the coronavirus is no exception. The lack of access to a reliable or sufficient income means that most individuals are already in ill health for a number of reasons: inadequate access to clean or healthy food or water, no financial or physical ability to see a healthcare provider, and more. 

This means that when a pandemic hits this community, there is little or no containment. People who are already less resilient due to an inadequate diet and a lack of basic necessities are almost guaranteed to fall victim to illness, and their inability to stay home—and in so doing fail to acquire necessities like food—quickly turns slums into breeding grounds for any virus or disease. 

Many people in better-off countries take for granted their access to benefits such as sick leave that do not exist in the slums. And without disposable cash, families cannot stockpile the food that they need to remain socially distant. This is not their fault, but rather a product of their uncontrolled circumstance.

How Poverty is a Multi-Fold Phenomenon

As poverty continues to rise throughout 2020, one cannot help but examine how the coronavirus had a multifaceted impact on not only the living situations of people globally but also on the manner in which their poverty affects them. This phenomenon spreads across an individual’s entire life, from finances to emotional health, and this is more visible now than ever before.

COVID-19 has highlighted poverty as opportunity deprivation more strongly than any other time in recent history. People become imprisoned by their own low income, unable to create better opportunities for themselves. As unemployment and the face of the workforce changes drastically in response to the pandemic, all opportunities are harder to come by and are being taken more quickly be more advantaged groups.

However, poverty also presents as stigma and discrimination. The us/them issue is highlighted in countries with competing factions over personal protective equipment like masks—some wear them, some don’t. Similarly, the idea that “they” (which typically refers to the poor or the elderly) have a responsibility to protect themselves when such individuals may not have the resources has been growing exponentially.

Poverty has begun to manifest as violence; as some governments elect to keep the economy running at the cost of lives, it is largely the less fortunate who are impacted. Those living on a low income must solve their own problems, and this constitutes a form of structural violence.

Eradicating the World’s Poverty

As residents of the world, we all have a responsibility to play our own roles in eradicating poverty around the globe. We can fight for sustainable development and the alleviation of poverty by donating to NGOs for the cause if we have the financial means. Volunteering for organizations like Save the Children is another option that uses time rather than money to make a difference.

Charities and NGOs around the world are stepping up to end the cycle of poverty, even after the pandemic is conquered. But COVID-19 has made clearer than ever the vast divides in social and financial health that the world’s poorest nations endure, and organizations like CFTW continue to fund schools, build healthcare facilities, and support communities to become self-sufficient. When education and access to necessities is finally provided to poor nations, the people will be able to achieve their full potential and become acting citizens in the world in which they live.

Introduction

Africa has generally been known as a continent where poverty is common and subsisting on a low income is the norm. However, the impoverished communities of this beautiful continent are growing, and by 2030, it is anticipated that as many as 90% of the world’s total poor population will be located in this area.

The data can be difficult to decipher at first, and it may even appear on the surface to indicate that poverty in the African region is on a decline from 54% in 1990 to 41% in 2015. However, due to the population growth that occurred at the same time, the total number of people who are living in extreme poverty has actually increased substantially, from 278 million to 413 million in the same time period.

Some countries are making strides toward ending poverty, with Ethiopia and Kenya the closest and Ghana close behind. However, Zambia and Mali have struggled to achieve the same international assistance seen by some other countries.

Why No Improvement?

The reasons why poverty continues to dominate talk in Africa are many, and not all are easy to solve. In total, 27 of the 28 poorest countries in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with poverty rates over 30%. But poverty is not just a measure of financial wellness or the ability to acquire income; rather, it is a holistic examination of quality of life that considers hunger, shelter, access to healthcare, education access (both in terms of distance and society), being able to read or have a job, losing children to curable illnesses, and even the attitude of living one day at a time.

The most common factors by which poverty is measured are:

• Availability of shelter

• Access to clean food and water

• Ability to use healthcare services

• Government corruption

• Poor infrastructure

• Consumption of natural resources

However, in addition to these external criteria, individuals must also be assessed for emotional and spiritual poverty. These can have just as important an impact on the world—an emotionally and spiritually fatigued individual may not have the aspiration to continue their education, and the world has lost a valuable mind who may have made breakthroughs and contributions to others.

Why Address Poverty?

Our humanity often moves us to commiserate about the state of poverty in Africa, but sympathy alone is not the only reason to address poverty around the world. Because the insecure lifestyle generated by inadequate provisional needs makes people vulnerable, a number of issues can arise that have a global impact.

Imagine, for example, the change that would occur to unrest in the region if more people had access to food, healthcare, and job opportunities. Inept leadership may be replaced with highly educated individuals who are suited to lead wisely, and a country with strong leadership can become an integral player on the international stage. Similarly, countries that do not have inadequate healthcare help to keep global travel robust and safe despite outbreaks of dangerous diseases like Ebola and COVID-19.

US vs. THEM

African countries continue to fall behind in their goals to eradicate poverty. In September 2015, nations around the world joined in the Sustainable Development Goals agreement that was intended to eradicate poverty; however, many African countries are not on track to meet their promised poverty levels. 

Part of the reason for falling short is due to a lack of international funding. Communities already stricken by poverty cannot just pull themselves up by their bootstraps; they need international aid from NGOs and other charitable organizations. If you have the financial means, you too can help pull people out of poverty by donating to these worthwhile causes.

Organizations like CFTW make it their mission to rehabilitate poverty stricken communities and heal the whole person—not just by providing financial means. Instead, CFTW and other charities work with underprivileged communities to educate them both academically and spiritually so that they can move on as fully realized individuals.

You can help CFTW and other charitable organizations by donating as you are financially able. Your contributions, even in the amount of a few dollars, go a long way in communities where a single dollar is more than some people earn for an entire day’s work. You can also contribute your time via volunteer hours at the in-person or online organizations that you are most passionate about. We have a global responsibility to help our fellow humans in need, especially when they are unable to help themselves.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic that has swept the globe has caused dramatic, lasting changes in all regions—first world or developing country, peaceful or stricken with conflict, countries around the world have had to adapt quickly. First suspected in late 2019, the coronavirus situation has continued to develop, and the vaccine is still not currently available as of late 2020. It is unclear when such a measure may be widely accessible to the public; in the meantime, the world must continue addressing the crisis through mitigation and responsible activity.

As lockdown measures begin to ease, the international community must consider how these actions will affect the world’s most vulnerable populations. One such concern is with Sub-Saharan Africa, which is likely not ready to bear the brunt of a full-scale coronavirus infection. The United States has shocked the world by recording more than 2,000 deaths in a single day, but more catastrophic results could be possible if the most susceptible among the world’s populations are left to fend for themselves.

Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study

Africa as a whole is widely vulnerable to a large-scale coronavirus outbreak for many reasons, and its effects could be long-lasting and severe. The region is characterized by overall weaker than average healthcare, and the number of healthcare workers remains low at only 2.2 per 1000 people. This means that a COVID-19 surge in the region will likely quickly lead to overwhelmed hospitals, and a recurrence of the tragedy seen in Italy earlier in the year may not be far behind—but on a much larger scale.

Few African countries have ventilators in numbers enough to make any substantial difference were the coronavirus to rear its head; in fact, the Central African Republic may have only three ventilators total. These life-saving machines are meant to assist those having a severe reaction to the coronavirus, but with countries largely unable to access this critical piece of equipment, the death toll could climb quickly to unprecedented levels.

Both short- and long-term consequences could result. While it is true that Sub-Saharan African has its previous experience with Ebola to rely on, COVID-19 could prompt a race between fatal hunger and a life-threatening illness. In some states with already weakened infrastructure and political guidance, the situation could become so dire that the entire state fails, opening the region to periods of unrest and potentially violent actions at the hands of extremist groups.

In the longer term, extended productivity losses may create ripple effects that result in extended joblessness and school closures. Over time, the region may see increased child marriage, domestic violence, and teen pregnancies as a consequence of the shifting dynamics. 

Protecting Vulnerable Regions

The international community has not left the crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa unnoticed; the International Monetary Fund, has made moves to quickly and efficiently bolster emergency funding and secure as much capital as possible in preparation for large-scale assistance. As many as 90 countries have already approached the IMF for assistance, and the organization has since reached out in cooperation with the World Bank to address this crisis as it unfolds. 

Other countries have also joined in participation, with China suspending debt payments due from the poorest developing countries. Grant resources provided by the IMF and other organizations are pooling in to offer some form of debt relief for some low-income countries, and other states have done their part through medical donations to the region.

What You Can Do

Each country and its people have their own role to play in the prevention of what could be one of the most catastrophic medical health outcomes in recent memory. Developed countries should prepare to share their knowledge of mitigation strategies and containment methods with threatened locations, while both public and private sector organizations can continue with monetary management and the procurement of medical supplies.

On the home front, it can be difficult to imagine what a single person can do to assist in this endeavor. First and foremost, individuals must take responsibility and mitigate the spread of coronavirus as much as possible. Wear a mask and self-isolate to avoid spreading or become a carrier for the virus; a single point of transmission may be sufficient, over time, to introduce COVID-19 to the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Those seeking to help can also dedicate their time or money to charitable causes that are supporting efforts in the region. Both in-person or remote work to reduce the burden on charities may be available, and monetary contributions go toward funding necessary medical supplies, grants that improve the economic situation of countries by addressing their debts, and a number of other critical uses that free these developing nations up to address the coronavirus in a timely manner—before it spirals out of control. 

For marginalized children and youth, especially those living with miserable conditions, education is more than just attending lessons. For them, going to school is more like improving health, safety, nutrition, and lifestyle as a whole.

David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, says, "In the poorest countries, children often rely on schools for their only meal of the day. But with many schools now closed because of COVID, 370 million children are missing out on these nutritious meals, which are a lifeline for low-income families. They are also being denied the health support they normally get through school. This could do lasting damage, so when schools reopen, it is critical that these meal programs and health services are restored, which can also help draw the most vulnerable children back to school."

COVID-19 has forced the world's learners - over 90% - to stay out of school. 

The worst is that nine out of ten of the world's youth live in either developing or under-developed countries. Sadly, where (including India, South Africa, and a few others) opportunities for distance learning are quite limited due to the low caliber or unavailability of internet connections.

Fortunately, or maybe, unfortunately, schools are set to open by this week; in some regions they have resumed already.

So, as countries are grappling with when to resume school, the Global Education Coalition (UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP, and World Bank) urges governments and education authorities to consider all the risk factors associated with the reopening of schools.

Considering all those factors, a list of precautionary measures will be issued to all schools - to aid in their reopening plans. Adherence to anti-COVID behaviors can reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Measures are not for schools only; children and their parents are also requested to cooperate with schools and practice the given instructions.