Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

            I have completed the alternate assignment for this week which consisted of exploring the Global Children’s Initiative website at http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ .   The website contains several areas of interest and information relating to global issues and concerns which several countries and initiatives or efforts are specifically focused upon in articles (2012).  Central to the focus of the Global Children’s Initiative are the education of policy-makers in the areas of learning, behavior, and health in relation to child development; support research and projects that facilitate the understanding of what is required for healthy development, how it can be inhibited or interrupted, and what steps are necessary to correct any interruptions; and preparing and educating leaders to include low and middle income countries around the globe upon how  to  and what it takes to facilitate the healthy development of children and families for the best outcome for society (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2012). Three domains of particular interest and focus are child development, children in crisis and conflict, and child mental health.  There are several projects currently underway in many areas of the world (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2012).  

I found the article by Shonkoff, Richter, van der Gaag and Bhutta to be quite informative (2012).  Many of the things we have already learned throughout this class are contained in this article to include the cost of poverty on people and society in general, the issue of human capital, the importance of unified efforts across economic, educational, health, and other linked domains to come up with a unified research based approach, and various global efforts (Shonkoff, Richter, van der Gaag & Bhutta, 2012).  The one thing I found to be of the utmost importance and quite upsetting is the number of children who will not survive to have any of these efforts impact their development.  Child mortality is a very huge problem in many parts of the world at a very high rate, but progress has been made (Shonkoff, Richter, van der Gaag & Bhutta, 2012).

Poverty, stress, lack of focus upon early childhood and need for reform seems to be an issue regardless of the part of the world you are from.  There are different levels of each, but all are found in each country.  There is unified agreement that this issue will not resolve itself and will require efforts of all groups and at all levels of politics and society to address and work towards resolution of this huge, huge problem impacting the world’s children.  The future success and continued growth and development of children depends upon our ability to work together.

References

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2012). Global children’s initiative. Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/activities/global_initiative/ .

Shonkoff, J., Richter, L., van der Gaag, J., & Bhutta, Z. (2012, January 4). An integrated scientific framework for child survival and early childhood development. Pediatrics, 129(2), 1-13. Doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-0366.