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You're at home watching TV. Finally, a commercial break is in session and you
run to the fridge. Seeing there's no more $2.00 bottles of water left, you moan.
Now you have to drink tap water. Well, how would you like drinking water
polluted with pesticides, not having a TV, and not even have a stable household income
that can send you to school, give you clothes and feed you?
That's what it's like for some of the less fortunate kids in Middle Eastern,
African, South American and Asian countries, many of whom must drink pesticide-polluted water.
But what about the children? Did you know there are people our age waking up at
6
a.m. so they can help support their family by picking coffee beans, cocoa beans
and many other important crops?
Much worse, they could be the victims of a one-crop economy, in
which the entire economy of a region is based on the success of one crop. If that crop
fails, the entire economy fails. This has a harsh effect on child laborers, who
must now work longer hours and be paid less.
So, the next time you're griping about taking the trash out, be thankful you're not one
of the estimated 250 million child laborers out there.
-SpORkY
Editor's Note: There are also kids in North America and Europe who
face the destitute life you describe -- it's not as common, but poverty and
child labor can strike anywhere. But so can wealth -- there are kids all
over the globe who live in the lap of luxury. The question is, what can we
do to help those less fortunate than ourselves?
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