There are so many things that I learned this week from this class it is unbelievable. I had alot of rumors dispelled about what it means to be in poverty.  "Americans often talk about poor people as if they were a distinct group with uniform characteristics and somehow unlike the rest of us. In fact, there is great diversity among children and families who experience economic hardship. Some people question whether a family that has air conditioning or a dvd player should be considered poor. Most workers need a car to get to work and having access to the internet is crucial for children to keep up with their peers in school." 2008 (NCCP)

To be in poverty in America is very different then to be in poverty in Africa. I have below a letter from the woman I talk to from South Africa. I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.

Dear Jennifer,

We don’t teach languages to young children but we certainly bring them into our daily programme. South Africa has many languages but we work mainly in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa (in the Western Cape).

We bring these languages through movement games and songs and we bring the cultural pictures and traditions through story-telling, food and festivals. We also have some African instruments in our classrooms as well as story books depicting life experiences and situations relevant to the children in the class.

Regarding poverty, this is one of our country’s greatest challenges and requires constant and ongoing work and reviewing. Many structures and programmes are in place to combat poverty

On many levels - it is a complex issue that needs huge amounts of support and funding. It also demands up-skilling and educating of many people who suffer poverty because of a  lack of infrastructure as well basic education and skills.

Robyn Davis