Poverty Forced Mother To Choose Between Kids

I just read a sad story about a mother forced by poverty to choose which one of her 6 kids to send to school. The mother fled from Iraq with her children to Syria after her husband got killed in Iraq. Syria gives citizenship to Iraqi families who enroll at least one of their children in school. The mother can only afford to send one, so she had to choose one of her kids.

She decided to send the second to youngest, a ten-year-old boy. She sent him because he would not feel as embarrassed at school in the family’s torn and raggedy clothes.

The family lives in a one-room apartment without heat or a bathroom door. The family’s income is less than the rent alone. The children have trouble reading and writing. Growing up in those conditions and without an education, I doubt the children ever will escape poverty.

Unfortunately, that horrible story only represents one family in a world with billions of poor people. I hope one day this horrible suffering will come to an end. I hope one day we will end poverty.

Posts your comments about that story and your own stories in this thread at the Hunger and Poverty Forums. It’s completely free, and all viewpoints are welcome.

Published by Scott Hughes

I am the author of Achieve Your Dreams. I also published the book Holding Fire: Short Stories of Self-Destruction. I have two kids who I love so much. I just want to be a good role model for them. I hope what I do here makes them proud of me. Please let me know you think about the post by leaving a comment below!