Childhood Stressors

Not that I have lived a perfect life however I am proud to say that I have not experienced many stressors in my childhood.  The only incident I can recall is one year during the month of February we experienced what was called an "ice-storm".  It rained heavily and all the water froze throughout the entire city.  Tree branches could be heard breaking and hitting the ground, streets and powerlines were coated and covered with ice, and there were no means of communication by telephone.  Because my house was totally electric we didn't have any heat so my family and I spent the first night trying to deal with it by wearing several layers of clothing and blankets.  The next morning we put pots and pans on the barbecue grill and cooked our food.  The cold became so unbearable my parents took my brother and I to my aunts apartment because she was blessed to have a fire heater.  There were so many people staying in my aunt's apartment.  My parents stayed at our home and endured the cold to ensure vandals didn't enter in our absence.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old.  Last month this disease killed 17 people and infected 35,000 others in China.  This is a major stressor in the lives of the children there.  The health department has issued warnings about the disease outbreak and informed parents and teachers to seek medical attention if symptoms are noticed.  They are advising people to lower the risk of infection by thoroughly washing their hands, disinfecting dirty surfaces and soiled items with chlorine bleach and by avoiding contact with those that are infected.

child development and public health

I chose having access to healthy water to be the most meaningful to me because it is the foundation to all development.  Regardless of the type of environment in which you live, having clean water is essential to good health, good hygiene, sanitation, and the prevention of diseases as well as death.  Since bacteria in water can't be seen it can't be avoided.  Although there is harmless bacteria as well as deadly bacteria, the lack of a good water system means each glass of dirty drinking water is a potential killer.  With out clean water, children are susceptible to diseases due to their immature immune system, adults don't have energy to work, those affected by waterborne illnesses can spread diseases to others, those caring for the sick can't produce income, and money meant to be spent on other necessities must be spent on medicine.  Thus, having unhealthy water negatively affects the entire community. 

In Africa, one of the greatest causes of poverty is the lack of access to clean drinking water.  The people there can't grow food, build housing, stay healthy, stay in school, or keep working.  Without clean water, the possibility of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is very slim.  Many members of the village have to walk miles away from their village to gather clean water.  Once gathered they must carry 40 to 70 pounds of water 3 hours every day.  Imagine how devastating the outcome will be when those people become physically unable to take that long journey on a daily basis?