All around the world, over 700 million people live in extreme poverty, living off of less than 1.90 USD a day. 365 million, or one in six, children live in extreme poverty, and though they make up a third of the entire world population, children represent approximately half of those living in such conditions. Underprivileged children growing up in poverty lack the basic necessities (i.e. food, water, shelter, healthcare) needed to survive. This data was collected in late 2020 by a UNICEF analysis; with the continuation and increase in severity and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise of lost jobs and income among families around the globe. And these numbers don’t just apply to third world countries, but also first world countries such as the United States and the European Union. To this day, one in four children living in the EU are at risk of falling into levels of poverty.
The US Department of Agriculture reported that around one in four children living in the United States suffer from hunger, and that over 12 million American families struggle to afford enough food to sustain their family. This lack of access to food can result in a multitude of different physical and mental health conditions, especially in young children who are still developing. Immune system deficiencies and mental illnesses can arise, and many underprivileged children who develop them would have a hard time getting the healthcare they need: 8 million children, or one in ten children, living in the United States have no health insurance or are underinsured. This greatly lowers their access to the health care services that they need, and, according to studies, these childrens are ten times less likely to receive treatment for relatively common infirmities such as diabetes and asthma.
California and the Bay Area are famous for being the home to a multitude of high quality universities and schools as well as major companies such as Google, Apple, and Tesla. However, for all that wealth many of its residents may hold, it is important that we still take note of the underprivileged living in California. Four in ten Bay Area residents experience material hardship, and over 28% of Bay Area residents live below the Real Cost Measure, which is the amount of income needed to meet the basic needs for one individual. Young children are especially susceptible to falling into poverty as they are unable to support themselves and make money themselves; they have to rely on their guardians and their income to ensure that they have the resources they need. To this date, a quarter of young children in California, which is around 754,000 children, live in poverty and don’t have full access to the basic necessities.
Here at Caregena, our goal is to raise and spread awareness about such issues in our community. Our organization was launched early 2022, and we want to play our role in contributing to our community and support those who are living in underprivileged conditions. Since the launch of Caregena, we have developed goals and ideas to give to those in our areas. Our goal is to donate 500 supplies by June 15; keep up to date with our Instagram (@care.gena) for updates on future donation drives this summer!
Bibliography:
Bohn, Sarah and Danielson, Caroline. Geography of Child Poverty in California, Public Policy Institute of California, Feb. 2017, https://www.ppic.org/publication/geography-of-child-poverty-in-california/. Accessed 27 May 2022
Humanium. Children of United States of America: Realizing Children’s Rights in the United States of America, https://www.humanium.org/en/united-states-of-america/. Accessed 27 May 2022
UNICEF. Child poverty, https://www.unicef.org/social-policy/child-poverty. Accessed 27 May 2022
United Nations. Global Issues: Children, https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/children. Accessed 27 May 2022
United Way Bay Area. Meeting Basic Needs, https://uwba.org/what-we-do/meeting-basic-needs/. Accessed 27 May 2022
University of California, Berkeley. Taking Count: A study on poverty in the Bay Area, 2020, https://tippingpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Taking-Count-2020-A-Study-on-Poverty-in-the-Bay-Area.pdf. Accessed 27 May 2022
The World Bank. 1 in 6 children lives in extreme poverty, World Bank-UNICEF analysis shows, 20 Oct. 2020, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/10/20/1-in-6-children-lives-in-extreme-poverty-world-bank-unicef-analysis-shows. Accessed 27 May 2022
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