CORONAVIRUS, as a global pandemic, threatens children’s rights across the world, including India, and exposes them to potential disruption to their education, healthcare, protection, and overall well-being. Children are missing out on social interaction with friends, peers, family members, teachers, and adult caregivers. In India, children constitute 39% of the population and will face multi-dimensional risks during and post the crisis.
Save the Children India has had a history of being the first responder to any crisis that affects children or their community adversely. The same applies to the current health emergency that has impacted all but some more than the others. All our resources, support staff, partner NGOs, and health experts have joined forces to stand up firmly in solidarity and support of the most affected and children living on the fringes struggling to make their way out of this emergency unscathed.
Advertisement
During this time, it is imperative that we take cognizance of the adverse impact CORONAVIRUS can potentially have on the most vulnerable and marginalized girls and boys, with particular focus on girls. This includes children without family care, specifically children in street situations, children on the move, homeless children, migrant and internally displaced children, refugee children, child laborers, children in child care institutions, children with disabilities, children living with underprivileged single parents (especially with mothers).
While we do not know as of now, how long this is going to last, but what we do know is that we will be the last one to leave.
Advertisement
As the COVID crisis unfolds, Save the Children is mounting a long-term and comprehensive response for marginalized children and their families in India. We are going the extra mile in these uncertain times. COVID-19 has hit us all hard, but the situation is has been the more testing for those living on the fringes of society, the most marginalized children of India, and their communities.
Save the Children has also been undertaking sensitization activities across communities; however, through the adoption of ways to minimize the gathering of people.
Save the Children’s Response to COVID-19 in India Is Currently Focused on Multi-Level Risk-Mitigation:
- Bringing Immediate and short-term relief, food security, health and & hygiene kits, and more.
- Enabling continued education, health & nutrition, and protection to most affected children and their families.
- Ensuring long-term support for the most affected communities, including mental health for children, livelihood for caregivers, providing continued education and learning.
- Working with key stakeholders- the government, local bodies, partner NGO’s working for the cause of children and policyholders to ensure children’s needs are prioritized in these dire times.
Save the Children is mounting one of the biggest humanitarian responses to address the crisis. As of 4 May 2020, more than 35,900 people have been reached out with food kits, hygiene kits have been distributed to more than 8,000 families. More than 450 children have received a supply of Vitamin-A fortified milk.
Advertisement
Close to 46,000 individuals have received support at ensuring their surroundings are hygienic, and efforts are being amped up to ensure their good health. In addition to this, we have also sensitized and spread awareness among more than three lakh people through information dissemination.
We have an enormous task at hand, and we need all the support we can get. If we fail to act now, we will fail to protect a generation. Thus our journey to bring relief to the hardest-hit people and every last child and their family will continue.
Join the movement, donate online at: support.savethechildren.in/unite
