United for Chile

There’s no doubt a photo can say a thousand words. This photo may do just that for Chileans as it has been used widely to represent hope after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck on February 27.

Even ‘Chile Ayuda a Chile,’ the 24-hour telethon that raised over $60 million to build emergency homes in Chile, used the photo as the official emblem for solidarity. The man pictured is Bruno Sandoval, a citizen of Pellehue, a municipality affected by the earthquake.

“It caught my attention that the flag was there. I picked it up and I shook it a little because it was all dirty and there I began to look at it and from there I saw Roberto (author of the portrait) and he photographed me.  I left it there.  There is a person over there, a crazy man (man with mental problems), that well is known in Pelluhue and they said he had taken it, but I don’t know if he has it now.  Many are looking for it, ” said Sandoval. (translated)

AP photo by Roberto Candia

“I feel a lot of pride because is an image that is lifting the country at this time, I see it as a blessing of God that it was me and and because of what happened at that moment and I feel that the flag was there so I could pick it up and the photographer could capture it. It was very spontaneous, with no intention”. (translated)

Music has also helped during these difficult times. The Chilean hip hop duo ‘Traficantantes’ created their  song for hope titled “Everybody United.”

The beginning says ” This song goes out to my Chile, for the millions of people that are suffering, for the land that witnessed our birth, this is for you my dear Chile. Strength!”

Chorus translated:

Everybody united let’s give a hand to leave the differences behind. My heart is in your hands.  My country is asking for happiness.

Video Made by Youtube user:

The song is by from rock band Los Bunkers from Concepcion, Chile.  Here are some of the lyrics, translated.

Waking up in the mornings does not do me very well
To look through the window to see the sky darkening
Walk through the street and that the people can see
the mountain of sadnesses that you left at dawn
the cities that you marked, the stones that I threw
the dream that you killed, the wound that bled

Tomorrow there will be promises at my door to open
Tomorrow there will be a tear in my eyes for you

The old ones are of the worse
They never had not even a bit of reason
but to me the years did not make me very happy
To remember is another false step
and who wants to be look at themselves at in a mirror that will not break

Chile Quake May Have Shortened Earth Day

I thought this article was very interesting and it taught me something new.

The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds, according to research scientist Richard Gross at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

You can find the complete article here.

Early Childhood Education Optional

For many years I believed that pre-k was the entry level for all children who began elementary school. I recently found out that this is not the case for all children.  When I was in pre-k it was free of cost so I never understood why some mothers would choose to keep their kids at home sitting in front of a television or in a daycare then at a school.

Now I understand what may be a possible motive; it’s not free.

I discovered this when my mother tried to enroll my four-year-old sister Mia into school.  So pre-k is optional? Turns outs it has always been optional, but now it’s an option that is more out of reach. That is, if you don’t meet certain eligibility requirements.

According to HISD in order to attend pre-k for free a child must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Be homeless
• Be unable to speak or understand English
• Be economically disadvantaged
• Be the child of an active-duty member of the U.S. military or one who has been killed, injured, or missing in action while on active duty
• Child is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family code
• NSLP to include all children who meet any eligibility criteria for Head Start, not only those who meet the low-income eligibility criteria for Head Start. The TEC, §5.001(4), defines educationally disadvantaged as “eligible to participate in the national free or reducedprice lunch program.” Consequently, all children who are eligible for Head Start are eligible for free prekindergarten, based on their eligibility for the NSLP. [1][1] Public Law 110-134, which amended 42 USC, §1758

In 2006, children of military personnel also become eligible.

Otherwise enrolling your child in preschool will cost you. My sister was not eligible and therefore my mother was told she had to pay.

Oh, but don’t worry there is a payment plan, she was told. The state-set fee is $4,290 per year, which may be paid in 10 installments of $429. No, we are not talking about college tuition. We are still talking about Preschool here. Keep in mind that preschoolers only go to school for half of a regular school day.

This was difficult to hear since my mother was looking forward to enrolling Mia into school since she can’t afford daycare. Also, with an intelligence far beyond her age, Mia was  eager to start school. Thankfully, we were able to resolve this problem, but my curiosity on this matter remained.

Why doesn’t Texas have universal preschool? Oklahoma, Georgia and Illinois among other states have universal preschool so why don’t we?

It’s important to define what universal preschool is. Universal preschool simply means making preschool available to all. Sure there are plenty of schools offering pre-k, but what happens if a parent doesn’t qualify for free or reduced lunch or meet any of the other eligibility requirements and can’t afford preschool tuition? The answer is

Georgia uses proceeds from the state lottery to fund preschools. Its preschool programs are offered to any four-year-old.

There is no doubt that early childhood education is a concern for many.

President Obama has pledged to increase funding for early childhood education. He has said:

For every dollar we invest in these programs, we get nearly $10 back in reduced welfare rolls, fewer health costs and less crime.

In 2009, Governor Rick Perry vetoed legislation that would enhance Pre-K standards. He also signed a two-year, $182 million state budget that included $25 million in new funding to support the enhanced pre-k program. This would benefit the existing pre-k program.

Some believe children who attend preschool are better prepared for elementary school.

According to researchers from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University their studies show that:

Georgia’s pre-K program offers provides early effective early education experiences that reduced the gaps between where children began preschool as four-year-olds and where they began kindergarten.

On the other hand, some seem to think  early childhood education is unnecessary and a waste of money.

According to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal preschool may even be harmful to children.

The only preschool programs that seem to do more good than harm are very intense interventions targeted toward severely disadvantaged kids.

Read more here.

Religion in Congo

According to the Republic of Congo’s constitution there is no official religion and its forbids discrimination on the basis of religion. In article 8 it says:

All citizens are equal before the law, without discrimination based on origin, social or material situation, racial, ethnic, gender, education, language, religion, philosophy or place of residence. Women have the same rights as men. The law guarantees to them promotion to all political, elective and administrative functions.

However, this was not always the case.

About 80% of the population is Catholic, but there is also  a 10% that practice Kimbanguism. Kimbanguism is a branch of Christianity that was founded by Simon Kimbangu in Congo. Belgian authorities feared he might spark a nationalistic rebellion and he was sent to prison.

Kimbangu introduced teachings and was thought to have healing powers.

Kimbangu once said:

“To make palm-wine” he declared ” is to create sin — to sell it or offer it is to spread sin.” [quoted by Lamin Sanneh p 206]

Kimbangu died while in prison in 1951.

Like Kimbangu many followers were discriminated against and even persecuted in the 1950s. Only two years later was Kimbanguism recognized as an official religion.

Recently children have been accused of practiced witchcraft and have been  put in the streets.  I will further explore the ideal of religious freedom in the upcoming entries.

Poverty Caused by Overpopulation?

I came across this blog entry which posed an interesting explanation for Haiti’s poverty. Surely, there are many causes for Haiti’s poverty. Many point the finger to Haiti’s government, but are we missing some alternate underlying factors?

This is what editor Laurie Mazur has to say:

In many poor countries, subsistence farmers work hard to coax a living from tiny parcels of land, while large plantations—owned by agribusiness or local elites—produce bountiful harvests for export. Rapid population growth worsens the plight of the subsistence farmers, whose holdings grow smaller with each succeeding generation, but inequity—rather than population growth—is at the heart of the problem. This is certainly true in Haiti. Rapid population growth magnifies the problems of poor Haitians; high fertility means more mouths to feed, more young people to educate and employ.

Read more here.

Haiti’s total fertility rate is ranked at no. 45  with 3.81 births per woman.

According to the CIA:

A rate of two children per woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and for women to enter the labor force.

Mazur argues that overpopulation came as a result of Haiti’s poverty. Founder of the non-profit organization People to People also believes Haitians have many children as a result of poverty.

There are population control programs throughout Haiti. But they simply don’t work. Much research shows that moral preaching, sex education, available contraceptive measures and even force do little to reduce populations in very poor nations. This is because people NEED lots of children. They need them for 4 reasons:

1. As workers in the farm fields.
2. As old age insurance for parents who have no other security.
3. Because in a life of low material gratification, raising children is among the few joys and delights one can have.
4. Because they suffer high children mortality rates, people must have many children so that enough will survive to accomplish 1-2-3.

Read more here.

It’s hard to answer this question. However, one thing is clear. Overpopulation is a problem that should be addressed more aggressively in the future to help solve the poverty crisis.

A History of Health Crises in Haiti

Before the earthquake that recently hit Haiti many were uneducated about Haiti’s history. In fact, some were unaware that it was a poverty-stricken nation. Suddenly, everybody wants to know more about Haiti, even offering help through monetary donations and support, but in order to provide long-lasting solutions it is important to understand Haiti’s deep-rooted issues. For instance, Haiti has a history of health issues.

According to the Pan American Health Organization:

Haiti has the highest infant and maternal mortality, the worst malnutrition and the worst AIDS situation in the Americas. The general mortality rate was 1057 per 100,000 population during the 1995-2000 period, also the highest in the Americas. A quarter of the children suffer from chronic malnutrition, 3 to 6% of acute malnutrition. About 15% of newborns have a low birth weight. Acute respiratory infections and diarrheas cause half of the deaths in children under 5 years of age. There are complications in a quarter of the deliveries. The coverage of services is very low: 40% of the population has no real access to basic health care, 76% of deliveries are made by non-qualified personnel, more than half of the population has no access to drugs, and only half of the children are vaccinated.

Now let’s look even further. What is the cause of all these health problems?

According to group of scientists led by Dr. Michael Worobey the AIDS virus traveled to Haiti directly from Africa when Africans immigrated to Haiti. After analyzing tissue from five Haitian AIDS patients that were among the first recognized cases of  AIDS  with gene sequence s from 19 other countries they created this theory.

Courtesy of Dr. Michael Worobey

Read more here.

The high infant and maternal mortality can be attributed to several deficiencies.   But perhaps more significantly, 63 percent of Haitians are undernourished.

Respiratory infections are caused by a lack of trees and use of coal.  Haiti relies heavily on the burning of wood and coal accounts for energy sources.

Diarrhea among infants may be common since less than 45 percent of all Haitians have access to potable water.

These are issues that must be tackled in the reconstruction of Haiti.

For a more lengthy list of health issues in Haiti you can visit the Pan American Health Organization website.

Of course, these health issues can be linked to Haiti’s history of political instability, but I will leave that for another entry.

Organizations focus on Haiti’s future, Children

Thanks to the Hope for Haiti Now telethon over $66 million were raised for Haiti relief efforts.  However, months from now when the cameras turn off Haiti will still need our help. Foundations like ‘Fundacion Pies Descalzos’ (Barefoot Foundation), created by Latin pop star Shakira is doing her part by making a lifelong commitment to Haiti.

There is a great need for immediate aid in Haiti, but also for longer-term reconstruction” said Shakira. “For that reason, we are doing our small part to help Haiti rebuild and give the children affected by this disaster the chance to learn and thrive. I hope we can use some of what we’ve learned working in Colombia to help Haiti’s children recover.  When we educate children we empower societies, and right now Haiti needs all of our help.

Pop star Ricky Martin is also looking into the future with his foundation. He recently visited Haiti and was compelled to help.

The only words I can think of to describe what I’ve witnessed here today are that this is a living nightmare. The images that are now in my head will be impossible to erase. Children and families impacted by this disaster will need long-term help restoring their lives—in every sense of the word. Every family is a family in need. I’m asking each of you to think about the future of the children. What they will need to survive after they are properly fed and have received appropriate medical care is a safe and decent home.

To donate click here.