Lemon-scented laundry...

Well, now that I’ve introduced you to Nichole, I’d like to walk you through a few episodes of her life. The following stories might get you emotional – they sure did me. Nichole’s life and life experiences are about as clear an example of how lack of education and poverty become part of an endless cycle until someone finds the hope and strength to break it.

Laundry detergent – is it a right or a privilege?

You know what I think is interesting: the term “underprivileged”. According to the

Merriam-Webster online dictionary, underprivileged refers to those deprived through social or economic condition of some of the fundamental rights of all members of civilized society. When most of us think of people who are living in underprivileged conditions, we think of subsidized housing and lack of food. Would you have even considered that access to laundry detergent, or clean clothes, would actually be restricted? I mean, I’m not trying to feign ignorance here but laundry detergent is not something top of mind… not even in our own daily lives, but it is very important.

When Nichole was 9, getting ready for school she often woke up to put on dirty clothes. There were days when the laundry just didn’t get done: without hope or when you're short on food, it’s hard to have the energy to clean clothes. Many times, it was simply a question of not having laundry detergent to begin with. Nichole even has memories of clothes being washed in the bathtub with dish soap because it is cheaper than laundry detergent. Not to mention that it was the only thing left in the house which could clean clothes… well, at least until the welfare check came!

Now, it’s hard enough being a kid who lives below the level of poverty. Add to it the regular stresses of going to school, throw in a dash of “out-of-style” clothing, and for good measure – make those clothes dirty! Do you want to keep going to school?

Here’s the thing – food stamps do not buy laundry detergent. When we look for ways to help bridge the gap between poverty and lack of education, we need to create an educational environment that breaks down (as much as possible) the silos that society creates and then imposes on our children. Those silos make it hard for “over-privileged” children; imagine what they do to underprivileged children?

* The image of the Sunlight detergent is simply used to depict a "lemon-scented" laundry detergent.