Stressors

While growing up I experienced poverty. I believe there are varying degrees of this, mine was not the poverty that had me going to bed without food or without a roof over my bed. My father has always been present and supported me throughout my life but I have only lived with my mother for most of it. All the money that my mother earned went into paying for our basic necessities. For years we did not own a refrigerator, television, a dining room table and chairs. We used to put things in water to help keep it cold. I had a rectangular cardboard that I used to eat on, in case I made a mess. I remember my mother telling me this is not the way people eat and that if I went to someone’s house I should eat around a table. I often wore second hand clothes from my cousins because we could not afford to buy much new clothes. Since we had very little furniture I used to make what should be the living room and dining room into a play area. I never owned a Barbie but I did have other toys to play with. There were things that I wanted sometimes but my mother would explain that she doesn’t have the money to buy these things. My mother once told me that when I was younger I got sick but I did not tell her that I was feeling unwell. When she asked me about it I told her that she does not have the money to take me to the doctor. To this day I don’t like to waste food, I always try to finish everything on my plate, I try to conserve energy and it is hard for me to buy clothes or shoes over a certain price. As I grew older and our economic situation improved I still disliked asking my mother for money even if it was for school supplies. Though I did not have much, I thoroughly enjoyed my childhood. My mother and I grew and continue to be very close, we talk about everything.

According to UNICEF (n.d.), in Ghana some stressors that affect children are: diseases, malnutrition mostly due to poverty, and access to safe drinking water, and child labor which is sometimes accompanied by violence. In order to counteract this UNICEF has partnered with other programs. One such partnership, UNICEF and the Guinea Worm Eradication Program, has seen cases of the disease drop by 85 per cent between 2007 and 2008 (UNICEF, n.d.). UNICEF has partnered with the government and others to form a child protection systems such as anti-human trafficking units and domestic violence and victim support units (UNICEF, n.d.). “In December 2005,the Government passed a comprehensive anti-trafficking bill, with assistance from a variety of international organizations” (Johansen, 2013). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and APPLE, a local NGO “both rescue children from trafficking situations and bring them back to their families” (Johansen, 2013). Organizations such as Free the Children (2013) partners with communities. They help to provide clean water systems, latrines, hand-washing stations and water and sanitation education (Free the Children, 2013). Additionally, the organization will provide health education and training, implement nutrition programs at schools and provide an alternative income for men and women through new business development (Free the Children, 2013).

References:

Free the Children. (2013). Ghana. Retrieved from http://www.freethechildren.com/international-programming/where-we-work/ghana/

Johansen, R. 2013. Child trafficking in Ghana. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/child-trafficking-in-ghana.html

UNICEF. (n.d.). UNICEF Ghana. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/Countries_1743.html