Consequences of Stress On Children's Development: Poverty and Hunger

“Kvonya, there is this one student. I mean, If the classroom is quiet enough, the other students can hear the [shrill] growling sound within his stomach. Can you imagine how embarrassing that must be”, declared my sister-in-law, Charlotte. Charlotte is an elementary art teacher. She told me of a particular young boy named Anthony whom she had as a student in her art class several years back.  She said that Anthony was often teased in class about his clothing. His clothes were ragged and his uniform pants seemed to be worn repeatedly, without wash, more often than not. She said that the constant teasing had an effect on his work ethic and his confidence. He rarely wanted to participate in class discussions or assignments for fear of being taunted. She didn't know Anthony’s family background that well, but she, along with everyone else knew that his family was poverty stricken. His mother was unemployed, and therefore there was no set annual income. His family lived in one of the most frowned upon parts of town nicknamed “Soy Bean City”.  She went on to explain, “His shoes had holes in them and the rubber soles were almost nonexistent.” “I just had to intervene,” she said solemnly.  So she met with the school social worker and sat down and talked to Anthony about his personal life and how things were at home.  He mentioned that his mother had no job and he wondered sometimes how they even got the few meals that they did have. The social worker visited Anthony’s place of residence and met with his mother. Upon arrival, she noticed that they had almost no furniture within the house. She even noted that there was nothing more than a loaf of bread within the roach infested refrigerator. In the end, Charlotte went to God. She tells me that she prayed and prayed and even brought the matter to her church. After some time, things came through. Her church supplied Anthony’s mother, Sheila, with the money she needed to pay utilities and even get groceries. One of the deacons at her church gave Sheila a job as a receptionist at his construction company and the opportunity to become a tenant in a house that wasn't located in “Soy Bean City”.

These problems exist, at a higher degree, in other parts of the world. My region of interest was Sudan. I recently read an article entitled “Fleeing residents flood Sudan town; food scarce” In this article, several stressors are touched, including poverty, hunger, war, etc. Ayak Adiang, a woman who opened her home to villagers running from violence, stated, “Food and fuel are running short. There is not nearly enough shelter…….with two relatives and a dozen children between them……there is no food…we have to face the fact [that]….what we have is not enough.” This may be impacting the children in that region in an immense way. The overcrowded homes and the fact that there is barely enough food to pass around profoundly weighs on the child’s growth and mental health. Luckily, efforts are being made to combat against these problems. The United Nations has set up a food distribution camp in Turalei, Sudan to help families like Ayak’s and Anthony’s.