Poverty in China: Nan Nan's Story

The case study, Nan Nan: life in a poor migrant family is tough, focused on the life experiences of a fourteen-year-old girl, Nan Nan, and her family who live in poverty in Hefei, China.  Nan Nan family moved from a farm town in Shucheng, China as an attempt to provide Nan Nan and her brother a better education than what they were receiving in Shucheng.  However, the cost of living in Hefei is higher than Shucheng which required Nan Nan’s parents to work undesirable jobs that did not allow them much family time.  As a result, Nan Nan’s parents are unable to support her with her school work which is contributing to Nan Nan falling behind her peer group.

I found this case study to be very interesting as well as admiral.  The parents wanted to provide their children with a better life by sending her to a higher quality school.  Their efforts are very admirable, but I wonder if the move was really in their family’s best interest because the parents are not home enough to support their children with school because they have to work many hours to sustain even though all their efforts still only provide them with enough to live in poverty.

I gained three insights after reading this case study: (1) children in rural Shucheng are at a disadvantage because they are not receiving the same quality education as children in Hefei; (2) parental involvement effects children’s ability to be successful in school; and (3) parents working more hours away from their children to provide financially for them may not be the best idea if they are unable to support their children. 

I’m not sure what I would do if I was Nan Nan’s parents after knowing how their choice to relocate has effected Nan Nan’s educational experience because they were unable to support her due to having financial struggle to provide.  As a mother, I want the best for my daughter while still being able to support her in school as well as in anything she chooses to pursue.  I think the that Nan Nan’s parents were stuck between a rock and a hard place because they wanted her to experience  a quality education for a better future, but did not have the income to provide the experience.  I do take my hat off to their choice because by providing a quality education to Nan Nan, she will have a better chance to not repeat the cycle of living in poverty like her family had to.

Reference

Case study - nan nan: life in a poor migrant family is tough. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/index.php?action=casestudy&id=135