1. Education

I think we can all agree that we have encountered a couple of times, in the streets a child who is asking for money instead of being in school. I think it is also safe to say that they almost never look healthy, physically and mentally. When I do encounter these little kids, it breaks my heart because this means they are not in school and that is hurting their future because they aren’t getting the basic knowledge skills that they need. This will later affect them as they become older because having an education opens doors for better opportunities.

2. Brain Development

We all know that in order for our brain to function well-throughout the day, we need energy, and we gain that energy through food. For example, many of us wake up every day and need food to help us get wake up and for some of us it may just be a coffee. Well, children who live in poverty often don't even have a coffee or banana. So, how can these kids brain function if they don’t eat enough. It is important to know that if these kids are in poverty throughout their childhood, their mind and body will not be as developed as other kids their age. This leads to a high risk of chronic illnesses in their adulthood as well as shortened life expectancy.

3. Low Self-Esteem

One of the known signs of low self-esteem in children is avoiding tasks and giving little to no effort. This is something that children who live in poverty go through because they believe they are not smart enough to be able to achieve good things. During my middle school-days, I remember attending a school in a low income community where most of the families were living in poverty which also meant that it had a poor education. I also remember having a younger reading buddy who I would meet with at least twice a month and this child demonstrated this sign of self-esteem. I realized that having low self-esteem as a child also makes you feel lonely like my buddy and I sometimes realize loneliness follows you as an adult which is something that we want to prevent.

4. Poor Physical

Children in poverty have higher risks of becoming ill because they tend to have weak immune systems due to poor nutrition. Poor nutrition causes poor physical and weakness in the bones.This is dangerous for these individuals because any illness can hurt their physical shape evenly more. Some of us healthier humans tend to feel this weakness in our body after a cold but for someone who isn't as healthy, like these children, this would be a serious threat. This also relates to getting regularly doctor visits which in most cases, children in poverty don't.

5. Stress

Stress is something we can all agree we have gone through. I end to stress a lot, so I am well-informed about this issue. I don't think I started stressing until I became a teenager throughout high school and I don't think I would have lived a happy childhood if I was stressed. Most of the time stress appears in children who live in poverty because they worry that they may not have the resources they need such as books for school or other materials. We as adults recognize the weight that is put on our shoulders when we stress and it is too much for a child to handle and carry.

6. Depression

One of the most known mental health issues throughout humans is depression. I have met too many people who go through depression and unfortunately some of them didn’t get through it. Depression can really destroy a person and most time poverty is something that causes depression. The lack of basic needs can cause individuals to feel hopeless and can interfere in a lot of activities in a child’s life such as schoolwork and even social activities. Although we mostly hear about adults with depression we have to remember that these little ones can also get diagnosed.

7. Behavior

It is very common for there to always be a student in school who has bad behavior. This is another cause of poverty and affects the way the student has control of his/her behavior. Usually the child can’t seem to control itself and makes it very difficult for those around them. This causes disciplinary issues as a child but can lead to misconduct as they grow into adulthood. When this bad behavior happens in school, the child should receive help from a school counselor. In Grade School, our school required each student to have a visit with a counselor and for some students it was often depended on their behavior which was helpful.