Our family is incredibly privileged to live in a beautiful part of the world. We have the ocean on our doorstep, national park and water surrounding us and we want for nothing. While this is wonderful for us, I never want my children to grow up thinking this is normal for everyone. I want them to have a keen sense of the global community in which they exist so I have tried to introduce them to issues of social justice from a young age.
Before I had children I swore I would never be that parent. You know the one: posts countless pictures of their sweet little angels on Facebook. They also let their children tantrum in public, give their toddler processed food and have no social life because their whole life is about their kids. No, I would never become that parent.
Except I did.
Because that parent is every parent. We all have different habits, levels of acceptance and routines, but ultimately the majority of parents have one thing in common: we love our children beyond expression.
I often contemplate the anguish I would feel if I was unable to provide or care for my children. I get choked-up at the thought of something happening to me. The idea is unbearable that I might not be here to nurture them or see them grow up. Equally, I can’t imagine how I would feel if I simply did not have access to enough food or water to nourish them.
Sadly, this is a reality for far too many parents worldwide. The only reason I am not in their position is because of where and when I was born. It’s as simple and seemingly unfair as that. The parents who endure these circumstances are just like me; they care deeply for their children but do not have access to the same basic necessities I and my children take for granted.
What are some things I can incorporate into everyday life to educate my girls on issues of poverty and social justice? Here are some things I do that are engaging and age-appropriate. My girls are currently four, three and one.
SPONSOR A CHILD
There are a number of incredible organisations who work to lift children from the cycle of poverty. Compassion, World Vision and Plan International have schemes where you can sign up to their child sponsorship programmes, providing schooling, meals and ongoing family support to millions of children worldwide. My husband and I have done this for many years and now our girls are involved in writing letters to our Compassion sponsor children. We often look at their photos as a reminder this isn’t just about sending money, rather it is about actively participating in the life of someone to help them break out of the cycle of poverty.
“CHANGE FOR GOOD” JAR AND MICROLOANS
We have a jar for coins at the front door. The girls love putting loose change into it and watching it fill up. My eldest always runs to the jar and says, “Let’s put this money in the jar for the people who have no food!” I probably need to address the issue of elitism and not being patronising. She is only four so I’ll go easy on her for the moment.
Once the jar is full we will be using that money to give a microloan via an organisation such as Lend with Care or kiva.org. I love, love, love microloans and have been reinvesting the same £25 for about six years.
Microloans can be accessed by budding entrepreneurs, in developing countries, who don’t have the capital to get their business venture up and running. Once they receive the loan and are earning money from their business they pay the loan back and that money gets returned to you as a lender. You can then choose to withdraw the money or relend to another entrepreneur. Genius!
BUY FAIRTRADE
As a mum I find myself at the grocery shop numerous times a week. I must admit, I am in the habit of buying the same things regularly and not giving much thought to their production or origin. Shopping with three small kids = tooth extraction! However, there are certain items of which I will always try and buy the Fairtrade version, if it is available: chocolate, tea, coffee, sugar, vanilla, bananas and a few others.
As I continue on my journey of simplicity and minimalism I am trying to aim for quality household items that are fairly produced. I have recently bought a few things from Olli Ella and I love seeing the girls enjoying them. Their products are beautiful and ethically made so I am happy to pay a bit more for something I know will be treasured.
Equally, as I clear out wardrobes, I am attempting to do more research into which clothing brands are socially conscious and use Fairtrade cotton. I love that many companies have become more honest and open about their supply chain and count the human cost of what they are producing and selling. I found this Ethical Fashion Guide from Baptist World Aid so helpful and eye-opening.
If you are looking to make some small changes in any of these areas, why not involve your children and explain the change? Or tell them a bit about why you decided to buy a particular item? My girls are at an age where they question everything so what an opportune time to educate them on the origin of items we use on a daily basis.
HAVE A “BELOW THE LINE” NIGHT ONCE A WEEK
For a few years, my husband and I took part in the Live Below the Line challenge. This initiative encourages people to live below the poverty line ($2 a day) for five days in order to raise awareness of issues of hunger and poverty. It was such a confronting few days and something I would like to do as a family on a regular basis.
The only trouble is that my children are all a bit young to truly understand the concept of how much things cost. I am also pretty sure they would really enjoy whatever bland meal I serve up as they are quite happy with plain pasta or rice or a bowl of cereal. So this might be one to introduce in a year or two.
GIVE THINGS AWAY
I don’t know about your children, but if I ever try to “relocate” toys i.e. remove them from the house, said toy becomes the most valuable possession my children have ever owned (even if it has been gathering dust in a drawer).
Recently, rather than smuggling toys out via the backdoor, I have tried to include the girls in the process. By explaining another child will get to enjoy the toy we are giving away, they have been (mostly) happy to see it leave. If I take bags to the op-shop I tell them about the way in which the sale of those items will ultimately help other people in need.
It isn’t always that simple and I have had to return a few items to their playroom but ultimately I am just trying to familiarise them with the idea of giving things away, especially when we have excess. One day I hope it will be something that simply comes naturally to them because they are so used to the idea of sharing what we have.
There have been some incredible improvements in global poverty rates and subsequent child mortality rates. I do believe, though, we can still do better. When I started delving into the global stats for malnourishment and wasting (i.e. severely underweight) I became overwhelmed. We throw away a third of all food produced while allowing millions of people – including children – to starve to death each year. I mean, come on! Are we going to allow this to continue on our watch?
Sometimes the enormity of social justice issues can reduce us to inaction. However, I have seen people come together to achieve great things on many of these issues. Poverty rates have actually halved in the last 30 years.
No matter how small we think our contribution might be, it counts. It matters to the one person you help and it matters to the people in their community who will benefit. Together, as Global Citizens, we can shape a better world for our own children and the children of others. And if we involve them in the process, we create a far more sustainable global community.