International Awareness

Three consequences of gaining insight of the international early childhood field are:

1. Acquiring knowledge about international needs in education compared to my local community
• Learning about the needs across the world has been enlightening because they are different than the needs of families in my local community. For example, in Ghana they do not have sustainable child care or reliable health facilities, which poses the risk of spreading disease (International Child Resource Institute, n.d.). My local community encounters issues regarding poverty but on a different scale than in impoverished communities such as Ghana, because people in Ghana do not even have the resources available. 
2. Researching diverse projects to solve the many issues that international early childhood fields encounter
• Through researching the International Child Resource Institute (n.d.), I learned about the many projects they have to help solve issues regarding child rights, health intervention, and grassroots community development. This provided insight on ways that I could get involved if I ever decide to take part in an international childhood program and help communities who have little to no resources.
3. Understanding that poverty is seen across the world, but in different ways
• As I researched the international resources and learned about the diverse projects, it was clear that poverty exists globally. However, poverty itself is very diverse. Poverty in my local community can be seen as not making a certain amount of income to provide for your family, living in low-income housing, or being homeless. Poverty in Kenya involves not having sustainable water or sanitation systems and lacking health care facilities with proper medical care (International Child Resources Institute, n.d.). While poverty is not a competition, there are definitely places around the world who encounter larger challenges, and these insights helped provide that context. 

My goal for the field is to continue staying up to date with international issues and awareness and to one day be involved in one of these organizations. I believe it would be fascinating to be a part of a project and learn about communities across the world that live completely different lives and require basic resources that seem "normal," such as clean water or available health care facilities. Being cognizant of these international issues provides insight that I can apply to my personal and professional awarenesses, and serves as a reminder that the world is much bigger than myself.

Reference

International Child Resource Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.icrichild.org/