Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan has a very serious poverty issue. The issues that this country faces in poverty weighs heavily on the children. With 55% of the children living in poverty it is very hard for country to progress. Those who live in poverty in Kyrgyzstan typically come from families that consist of one parent or two parent homes where parents are 30 years old or younger.  These children living both rural and urban communities are forced to grow up early and tend to leave their hopes and dreams behind while trying to help their families at a young age. Children start working as young as 7 years old. It is more common for children in rural areas to work early than for urban children. Sadly the working conditions are poor which adds several health risks for the children. It is common for children to miss school due to their dedication to their family and work. While enrollment rates are really high at the schools in Kyrgyzstan, attendance rates are extremely low. Some other reasons why students miss school are not being able to afford clothes or shoes, and not being able to afford the proper school supplies. Even when the children go to school, there is no telling if they will have a teacher who is qualified to teach specific subjects. Some teachers teach subjects they are not certified to teach to make extra money. This is such a disadvantage for the students. Sadly many of them do not pursue higher education because they need to work to help support their families. It is the hard truth that many there are not too many children who were born into poverty were able to change their lives and no longer live that way. Unfortunately, most children born into poverty in Kyrgyzstan will live in poverty for the rest of their lives. 

I feel terrible for the children who live in poverty. A little more than half of the children in Kyrgyzstan are forced to live like this. If more emphasis was placed on education, I think there would be a significant change. It starts with preparing the teachers. Once all the teachers are properly certified and are working for more than just a paycheck things may begin to turn around. There may be more success stories of children being born into poverty but changing their lives around because of the solid foundation they received in education. 

Reference: 

Ablezova, M., Botoeva, G., Jukusheva, T., Marcus, R., & Satybaldieva, E. (2004). Generation at risk:childhood poverty in kyrgyzstan. Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php/action=documentfeed/doctype=pdf/id=98/