She had entered the speech contest with an eye to winning and to encourage people to ease the burden of anybody they see who is battling through poverty or hardship.
"I wanted them to know that there are people who are suffering and they need our help. My nan does it all the time and so should we."
Nina, who has Russian and Samoan heritage, said poverty was a blight on the lives of too many people.
Nina's speech
Her mother works hard and tries to put food on the table each week but it's hard for her, her dad passed away not long ago and her mum is still battling depression. With four brothers and three sisters it's hard for them all to live on a budget of only $60 a week. Her name is Anastasia, she's seven years old. She's not advanced than most seven year olds, people find it different. But unlike any other child, adult or animal, I have seen into a world full of hunger and misery. And it just won't go away. Her name is Anastasia and she lives in poverty.
Talofa lava my name is Nina Gelashvili and I'm on a serious case of poverty. What is poverty? Poverty is an insufficient income for health care, nutritious food, good housing, good education and clothes. One in five New Zealanders are living in poverty. 40,000 Kiwi kids arrive to school each week with no food and, according to the OCED, New Zealand ranks 26th out of 28 in child well-being and, in 2008, the Pacific children ranked highest in child poverty at 51%, Maori children 39% and Pakeha children 15.
Poverty has existed for a very long time and to many extents it remains worldwide still in this 21st century. These people just like you and me are fighting daily for their survival.
They have nothing. The happiest experience or memory these people have is a spoonful of food or a gulp of clean water which is something we take for granted.
21,000 children die every day due to malnutrition, malaria, no food, no water, no basic education and countless diseases. They die for reasons we can prevent. We've all seen the ads about kids can and all those other sad stories that make us a bit teary but ask yourself thisdo you automatically jump up and donate or contribute to help those in obvious needs? We would all like to think yes but the real answer is NO!! Watching the ads and feeling sorry for them suffering people is not enough!! Its not about donating a couple hundred bucks at a time. It's about throwing a few coins into the kids can boxes even if it means not getting the latest gossip on Beyonce or not going to the pools with your friends!! Just take a step back and stop ignoring this issue! I know that the first thing you will say "ah sure theres plenty in the box I need Beyonce". That $5 will help make a difference!! Just remember that!!
Stop being so blind to the problems and solutions that are right in front of us!! Those out there who go to church pray for them and if you don't at least give a few coins in the donation boxes thank you.
