wfn.org | Poverty remains concern for United Methodist Women

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Sept. 8, 2000   News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212)870-3803·New York
10-71B{395}

A UMNS Feature
By Kelly Martini*

A life of success is not likely for a child who doesn't have access to
personal computers, enough books or teachers in the classroom, or a school
where safety is emphasized.

And children who spend hours a day picking strawberries in fields next to
their parents just to generate food money are not likely to receive a decent
education, said Lois Dauway, an executive with the Women's Division of the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Instead, they are likely to be
prone to health problems because of pesticides and hard labor, she said. 

"Poverty is systemic," she said. "Children living in poverty don't get the
health care they need. Unhealthy children miss more days of school. They
don't concentrate in school (because) they have basic needs, like food, on
their mind. They're also less likely to attend schools that have good
classrooms, computers and enough teachers or books."
 
Though the nation is booming economically, poverty among children is higher
today than it was 20 years ago, according to a study by the National Center
for Children in Poverty at Columbia University. An Aug. 11 New York Times
report on the study revealed that more than 13 million U.S. children live in
poverty, an increase of 3 million since 1979.

Poverty infiltrates all facets of a child's life, so it is rare to find
children who have found their way out of these engulfing circumstances,
Dauway said.
		
"For more than a hundred years, United Methodist Women (UMW) and its
predecessor organizations have been looking for ways to help children get
out of the deluge of poverty," she added. With the United Methodist Bishops'
Initiative on Children and Poverty, "the whole denomination has begun to
focus on it.  The work needs to continue until poverty is eliminated," she
said.
	
UMW believes that systemic changes can be made by working with grass-roots
organizations to create a supportive environment for children in
communities, doing legislative advocacy on behalf of women and children, and
educating churches about poverty, empowerment and what can be done. 
	
The organization gives more than $5 million annually to national ministries
with women, children and youth. Grants on behalf of children and youth
creatively address poverty and attempt to change the entangling cycle.
Examples include prevention projects for high-risk teen-agers, Christian
mentoring programs and tutoring, classes in industrial arts, instrumental
music and art, theater projects that teach about stopping violence and
education for unwed, pregnant minors. 
	
One success story is Angenise Jones, profiled in the April issue of
Response, the UMW magazine.  The married mother of five turned to the Wesley
Child Care Center in Cincinnati for assistance.  The center helped her write
a resume and find a job.  Her children attend the center's day-care and
after-school program. And, when her oldest son needed counseling, the center
helped find a place to fit his needs.
	
The United Methodist Women's Action Network is urging church members to
contact their congressional representatives during September to advocate on
behalf of children.

"There are nearly 100 bills pending in Congress that have children as a
focal point," said Susie Johnson, executive secretary for public policy with
the Women's Division. The network highlights bills of major importance to
the welfare of children.
 
When Congress adjourned last year, it didn't include an additional $818
million that the Senate had approved for the Child Care and Development
Block Grant (HR 2693). With 64 percent of mothers with children under age 6,
and 78 percent of mothers with children ages 6 to 13 in the labor force,
United Methodist Women believe child care is needed for all working parents.
	
Most former welfare recipients are working for pay between $5.50 and $7 per
hour, which is not enough to lift families out of poverty, according to
information from the Women's Action Network. The bipartisan Hunger Relief
Act (S1805/HR 3192) would extend the reach of food stamps to more hungry
families.  
	
The Federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which provides programs, laws
and funds for domestic violence shelters and services to end domestic
violence, is also in danger of not being re-authorized. This year alone,
more than 3 million women have been severely abused and 1,000 children have
died from family violence.
	
The Women's Division represents United Methodist Women, a million-member
organization focusing on fostering spiritual growth, developing leaders and
advocating for justice. Members raise more than $20 million a year for
programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United
States and in more than 100 countries around the world. 
# # #
*Martini is executive secretary for communications with the Women's Division
of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

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United Methodist News Service
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