Muhammad Hashim

CPU Essay

Impacts of Poverty on Children

Poverty is well-known in the world. In fact, it is so well known that the news does not inform about it because it is a fact; everyone knows it. However, not many people know the impacts of poverty on children. Poverty, the loss of family, and basic needs such as shelter, food, water, can lead to catastrophic results on the individual. In the visual “Children cross the river in the Philippines on their way to school.” by The Canadian Press, there are three children all trying to balance themselves on one peice of garbage that floats on the river, which they must cross to get to school. We can see that they are surrounded by water, and everything other than the children is blurred. Aditionally, there is also a smile on the childrens faces, as if they do not know what awaits them. To get to school, they must put their life in danger, and are trapped and unware where to go. This shows that as poverty and loss increase, so does the amount of hard work, determination, and life threatening situations one must put themselves in in order to achieve a brighter future. Because the individual does not have the resources, help, money, and people to help care for them, they must take those responsibilities upon themselves. This is shown when the children are going to school on a piece of garbage through the river, as means for transportation.

Poverty can destroy one’s life by taking parts of it away. For example, when the responsibilities of an adult, are not the responsibilities of a young child, childhood is skipped, and must be skipped in order to survive. This can be shown in the photograph “Children cross a river in the Philippines on their way to school.” by The Canadian Press when the children are trying to maintain balance on a price of garbage which they are using to cross the river and get to school. The area around the children are blurred out, which could represent that they are unclear about where they are going. This shows that they are lost, and need guidance Not only that, they are also trapped, nowhere to go. This is represented by the water surrounding them. This shows that the children are working very hard, and putting themselves in life threatening situations to go to school, so they have a higher chance of getting a job which in turn, would give them a better life. So they reason they are putting their life in danger, is so that they can give themselves a better life. This shows that because of poverty, and the lack of resources, help, and people, the children are missing out on the childhood of their lives, and skipping that step entirely. Poverty destroys one’s life because it takes out a part of it, making it incomplete. Although many people might think poverty makes people do things that put them in danger, that is not always the case.

One of the main reasons people do things that might put their life in danger is not because of loss, but because they want something better, and want a reward greater than the situation they are in right now. For example, when I went to pilgrimage In Makkah, it was very hard to walk on marble for hours at a time, and sit of marble because we couldn’t wear shoes inside the Mosque.  However, even though it was painful, I still did it. This is because I wanted something better, I wanted the rewards of pilgrimage, and that is what motivated me to do the things that were uncomfortable. People will do things that cause them pain, sorrow, difficulty, or even life treating scenarios. However, it is not because they enjoy pain, it is because they want the reward, the prize that lies after that pain, sorrow, etc. 

As the loss increases, so does the amount of hard work, danger, and difficulty required to obtain reward, and a better life.  Poverty also takes away part of life because it forces children to act as adults, surviving by themselves, and caring for themselves. It takes away that childhood where the individual can be free, do anything without worrying about whether or not they will be fed tonight. People also go after the reward, which can make them do crazy things such as putting their life in danger, as seen in the photograph, and my personal example. Individuals all have one thing in common. In order to achieve a great reward, they will go through pain, risk, and difficulty that is less than the reward.