Made by Courtney Hallink.

1. JAPAN NEWS<br />TODAY: April 28th, 2007<br />9-year-old girl dies from MalnutritionWritten By: Courtney Hallink<br />THE<br />For 11 years, Yoko’s mother, Naisumi, had to work extremely hard trying to provide for her daughter.When Yoko was born, Naisumi immediately went out looking for a job and found one as a waitress at a local restaurant near her apartment. She remained working there for Yoko’s entire life, making just over 16 000 dollars a year.Which is not nearly enough to take care of a child and yourself. Yoko and her mother lived under the poverty line for most of their lives and many of their friends and family didn’t realize the trouble they were in. Malnutrition Stikes AgainW<br />9-year-old school girl, Yoko Yashiki, died yesterday as a result of malnutrition. <br />Yoko grew up in Anpachi, Gifu, Japan, and had attended Namori Elementary School her entire childhood. She had been with the same classmates for a number of years and had many good friends that will miss her dearly.Yoko lived with her mother, and had no siblings or father. Her father left three months after she was born and left Yoko’s mother alone to take care her.<br />This is Yoko when she was 7. It is the last picture that was taken of her before she passed away.<br />Many people are not aware of how common death from malnutrition is. Almost 25 0000 people die from malnutrition, and hunger related diseases EVERYDAY and poverty is almost always the reason. 19 million Japanese people are living below the poverty line, and the number is only going up. Yoko grew up with out a dad, and only had her mother to provide for her. Naisumi, made about 16 000 dollars a year, not nearly enough money to take care of a child and herself. Single mothers don’t have the time to work a full time job and take care of their children, and it is extremely difficult to stay afloat. Single mother house holds are a huge attributor to poverty in Japan, and it doesn’t help that the welfare system is not very strong.<br />