Underprivileged Kids in South Asia: Charity Can Make a Difference

In 2021, the population in one South Asian country was estimated at 1.39 billion people, nearly one-sixth of the world’s population. [1] More than a quarter of that number represent children ages 0 to 14.[2] This country is second only to China in total population. Worldwide, 30 percent of children living in poverty are in this one country.[3] For the millions of underprivileged kids in South Asia, charity organizations can work together with the government to make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities.

For poverty-stricken kids, countries in South Asia are working hard to improve their conditions. Much of the poverty in this land can be attributed to the lack of opportunities in the highly rural region, as well as long-standing cultural and social issues that are slowly being addressed. Even with these high numbers and history of cyclical poverty in South Asia, underprivileged kids in this area are getting the help and services they need to break free from poverty, stay in school and have a chance at health.

“[This area’s] growth over the last two decades has contributed phenomenally to global human development,” reports UNICEF. “Extreme poverty in [one country in South Asia] reduced to 21 percent, infant mortality has more than halved, some 80 percent of women now deliver in a health facility and two million fewer children are out-of-school.”[4]

This is an incredible achievement brought about by local governments and legislation, such as the Rights to Education Act, as well as the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that come alongside local communities to help the millions of precious children in need. For underprivileged kids in South Asia, charity work is a vital part of the solution.

Just how many kids does South Asia have? To give you an idea, just one country in South Asia has the largest adolescent population in the world, 253 million, and every fifth person in that country is between 10 to 19 years.[5]

“[South Asia] stands to benefit socially, politically and economically if this large number of adolescents are safe, healthy, educated and equipped with information and life skills to support the country’s continued development,” says UNICEF, a NGO dedicated to helping children. “However, adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to poor nutritional status, early marriage and childbearing, affecting their ability to live empowered, healthy lives, which in-turn affects the next generation.”[6]


Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs in Gospel for Asia.Org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e...
Read more

Where Can I Learn How to Break the Cycle of Poverty?

Image
There are many methods for how to break the cycle of poverty which one can learn about. From education assistance to income-generating gifts like sewing machines or farm animals, there is hope for families who have been poor for generations. GFA World works in communities in all these ways through sponsorships and gift distributions, and one by one, we see lives changed as families escape poverty. Raina’s life had been dominated by poverty. She was part of a highly underprivileged people group that faced discrimination and deprivation from others in the region. Despite that, Raina had been able to attend school up until tenth grade, but she discontinued her education when it became too much for her parents to afford. Rather than receiving her certificates of completion, she had to join her parents in the field to earn money to put food on the table. After she married Ander, Raina continued to work in the fields to supplement his income with her own. In search of better job opportunitie...
Read more

What Do I Need to Know about the Global Poverty Rate?

Image
Statisticians are getting better at measuring the global poverty rate every year. The World Bank is one group working hard to accurately measure it so that the extent of the problem is fully known and so that progress can be measured. [1] Through governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we can more clearly see the last decade of progress and the most recent effects driving poverty rates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one area difficult to measure, but new data shows an overall reduction in the percentage of those in poverty. Unfortunately, there is an increase in total number of people living at or below the official poverty rate of $1.90 per day. [2] That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. With good statistics and a clear view of the problem, countries and organizations can use the proven methods to regain any ground lost. Additionally, valuable lessons have been learned about how to protect the most vulnerable and how to prevent some of the worst effects. GFA World is un...
Read more