Poor Children of rich Countries

It is already a while ago that Ramona read an article of UNICEF about a study they have done about child poverty in Europe. The results show how many children live below the poverty line with their families and how many children in which European country don’t have those necessities available which a child in a developed country should have. We just found it interesting and I wanted to share their study criteria and findings with you.

They had a list of 14 items that should be present for every child in these countries which are considered rich:

Three meals a day
At least one meal a day with meat, chicken or fish (or a vegetarian equivalent)
Fresh fruit and vegetables every day
Books suitable for the child’s age and knowledge level (not including schoolbooks)
Outdoor leisure equipment (bicycle, roller-skates, etc.)
Regular leisure activities (swimming, playing an instrument, participating in youth organizations etc.)
Indoor games (at least one per child, including educational baby toys, building blocks, board games, computer games etc.)
Money to participate in school trips and events
A quiet place with enough room and light to do homework
An Internet connection
Some new clothes (i.e. not all second-hand)
Two pairs of properly fitting shoes (including at least one pair of all-weather shoes)
The opportunity, from time to time, to invite friends home to play and eat
The opportunity to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, name days, religious events, etc.

The study found that there are a lot of children in these developed countries that don’t have two or more of the items on this list! In Great Britain for example, it is 5.5 percent of children. As you might expect, the Scandinavian countries like Iceland, Sweden and Norway are on the top, tightly followed by Finland and Denmark which all have less than 3% of all children in this situation. Several states of Eastern Europe like Bulgaria and Romania are at the bottom, with up to 72.6 % of children missing at least two of these items! In Germany it is 8.8%, in France 10.1%!

Isn’t that shocking? That every tenth child in France and nearly as many in Germany may not have two pairs of shoes and three meals a day? That there are so many poor children in these developed countries which don’t have problems like India? I was aware that there is poverty in these countries, too, but these figures give you a better and more detailed idea!

It is terrible to think that there are hungry children in countries like these where they have social security systems, where there is help for the poor! I have always heard and seen the different ways of support that the governments provide to the needy people in their countries and I am outraged that this help obviously does not reach these children.

It is wrong. Children are the future of our universe and we need to give them every possibility to develop their abilities and talents. Especially in these developed countries it is easy to know how many children are where in the country. It should be possible to extend help to them and if it is not through the government, there should be individuals helping those around them. Maybe you realize you don’t really need a second car. Maybe you sell the third TV in your home and donate that money to a charity organization for deprived children. Maybe you decide to help in some other way, offering free outdoor activities or lessons on a music instrument for someone who cannot afford it.

Get up and do something, it is about the children in your country, it is about your future!