The lockdowns, as well as economic and social crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, is exacerbating inequities and exclusion in my homeland of India. And, with 6.8-million cases total, the months and years ahead won’t be easy.
As the country director in India for Children Believe — a global non-profit child-centered humanitarian organization — I’ve seen how the pandemic is affecting the underprivileged and vulnerable, particularly daily-wage earners, migrant workers, and the poorest, most marginalized.
The threat is multi-dimensional. Self-isolation has hit hard, impacting nutrition, livelihood, safety, mental health, and children’s learning opportunities.
The most vulnerable are children — including those with special needs — pregnant women and new mothers.
Given that we’re providing relief and response, our team has government permission to keep in contact with families we help.
It’s how I heard from Santhiya, a 13-year-old, who said, “I feel lazy due to inadequate food, and there’s no money at home due to job loss among my parents. It gives me mental anguish.”
A 25-year-old mother-of-two who’s expecting her third child — and wished to remain anonymous — revealed how difficult it is to provide even two meals a day for her family.
Indeed, Santhiya and this mom are not alone. UNICEF reports 368.5-million children across 143 countries have had to find other sources of nutrition after losing access to school meals.
In the areas we work in India, there is still no news as to when classes will resume. So, I’ve been encouraged to see how children and youth in the communities we help have been stepping up to provide support. In fact, youth groups, formed by Children Believe, connected with our program staff to safely deliver dry rations, food baskets and soap to more than 2,300 families.
It’s encouraging to see how our program work is building resilient and engaged youth eager to make a difference and complement the work our donors make possible.
So what is Children Believe doing? We’re providing lifesaving education, personal protective equipment, food rations, and cash vouchers, child protection, psycho-social support, and education supplies.
And, although the number of new cases is slowly dropping, we’re still facing an uphill battle. The good news is many of the people we help are committed to building a brighter future — and we’re committed to helping them.
To learn more about how you can lend support, visit childrenbelieve.ca/COVIDhelp.