Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Being a citizen of Rwanda, i could easily choose to talk about war as a child stressor. Although Rwanda is considered by the international community as a stable country with a democratic system of government and the largest percentage of female law makers of any nation in the world, it went through a dark period with the genocide against the tutsi and the war in April 1994. 

Children lost their parents and siblings and were confronted to other stressors like poverty and lack of housing or food. 

Fortunately, my immediate family and i did not experience it because we were outside the country. I have some relatives and friends who survived the killings. A lot has been done to help them psychologically and financially. 

I have a friend who survived with her three sisters and one brother, having lost her parents. She said that what made her feel strong was her siblings because she did not have the choice to be sorry for herself and at the same time, her little brother who was aged four at that time received support from his sisters. He is a big boy now holding a unusual past but strong enough to live his life. His body must have increased stress hormone levels as an activation of response to stress but they have calm down with the support of his sisters. Without the care of adults, the stress response would have stayed activated which would cause his neuro connections to reduce when there should have been growing new ones (Center on the Developing Child–Harvard University). Another friend of mine had a nephew who survived the genocide but who had witnessed the killing of his parents. For many years after this period, depression led him to flee his home. He is in mental imbalance. With the psychological help he received, he does not disappear from his house but he cannot study. His biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial development slowed down.

Child Development and Public health

Hello,

I would like to tell you about the phenomenal efforts made by my country in reducing infant and maternal mortality these past years. According to the Rwandan Ministry of Health and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) office in Rwanda, improved surveillance and accountability have played a big role in this reduction, and increase of the number of assisted deliveries. Surveillance improvement has allowed new policies, strategies, road maps and programs to emerge. 
Infant mortality has reduced from 107 in 2000, to 62 in 2008, target being 28 in 2015.
Deliveries attended by skilled health workers increased from 38% in 2005, to 52% in 2007, 63,5% in 2010. Maternal mortality has reduced from 1071 in 2000, 750 in 2005 mothers per 100,000, the number reduced to 383 in 2010 and by 2015, the number is expected to reach 268.
The efforts made have an impact on the early childhood development future because it increases the number of healthy toddlers being raised by healthy mothers, mothers who are ready to give them the appropriate care important for the physical, cognitive and emotional development. 

Child birth in my life

Dear all,

I am the mother of four children, a boy and three girls. I thank the Lord for giving me these children.
When it comes to their births stories, i can only compare my country's health system to that of a developed country. At home, hospitals do the bare minimum. I got my first two children in Rwanda, my country, and the last two ones in South Africa. I had health problems and i was advised to go there for better care. The two are incomparable experiences. In South Africa, private hospitals are nice, you have different specialists caring for you, all the details of your health are taken into account, you are in good hands. Although we have good doctors and a little bit of improvement these years, we have a very long way to go before getting where developed countries are already in the health care system. We need qualified people and the required equipment in our hospitals. But compared to the hospitals when i was born 40 years ago, i can only be proud of my nation.