CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE - Children on the Edge

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Updated 26/05/2020 

Covid-19 lockdown procedures are having a devastating effect on the slum dwelling, refugee and internally displaced communities we support around the world. Through 30 years of working with some of the most marginalised groups, we know they are always the hardest hit in times such as these. Together with our local partners, in every country where we are active, we are pursuing sensible solutions to contain the outbreak and providing basic supplies to those who are most affected. 

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BANGLADESH
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Whilst families in the refugee camp are largely sustained by the World Food Programme, outside Kutupalong the Bangladeshi government is imposing a strict lockdown. As the government struggles to support one of the world’s largest populations with very limited resources, many people are desperately worried about starvation.
 
We have been seeking funding for an identified 7,500 families who are in urgent need of emergency food support in the areas where we run our slum schools. With half of this funding secured our team in Cox's Bazar have distributed food to nearly 3,000 households. We are actively seeking funding for the remaining 4,500 households identified. 

In addition to the distribution of 10,000 flyers to inform children and their parents about Covid 19, our digital team have worked with the children in the camps to produce a series of videos to help them prevent the spread of the virus. 

Read about our WORK IN BANGLADESH

All of our centres in Bangladesh are currently closed and we expect this to continue until at least June. ​

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INDIA
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Cases are increasing rapidly in Bihar and thousands of migrants have returned to Patna since the government put the country in lockdown.

​Authorities are punishing people who are found outside, but many of the poorest people struggle to understand the lockdown message as they may not have TVs, phones, or the literacy to read notices.

Despite the difficulties involved in obtaining government permission, we have been able to support our partners to deliver food parcels to 3,000 of the most vulnerable households, with an extra delivery this week to a number of widows and their families. We are now seeking funding for a further 2,000 families in need. 

Parcels consist of rice, dhal, spices, sugar, soap, oil and soya chunks and contain enough food for over 15 days for an (average sized) family of six. 

Watch the video below to hear direct from our partners and see the team in action. 

Read more about our work in Patna

All of our centres are currently closed but we are providing online homework and conducting small socially distanced 30 minute classes of 5 children in the areas where teachers live. The children are then sent home with additional tasks. 

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KACHIN STATE, MYANMAR
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Officials from various camps are saying the government has no plans in place to protect tens of thousands of people living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Human Rights Watch Asia Director Brad Adams says, “Years of conflict, neglect, and abusive policies by Myanmar’s government and military have left hundreds of thousands of displaced people sitting in the path of a public health catastrophe”.

The teachers within the ECD centres have been educating parents and children about the virus, and our partners have implemented a hand-washing campaign along with the installation of new hand-washing stations. All the centres have now closed and we expect them to be closed until at least June.

Read about our work in Kachin State

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UGANDA

Jinja slum communities
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In the rest of Uganda a total lockdown began on Tuesday 31st March, so the Jinja Early Childhood Development Centres are now closed and all Child Protection Teams have stopped operating. Fortunately, a tranche of business loans went out just before lockdown. 

The team here identified that those facing the greatest threat during lockdown are the elderly in the community, particularly grandmother-headed households who often care for an average of five children (some as many as 13).

Working with the government, staff are delivering fortnightly supply parcels of maize flour, beans and soap to 100 of the most vulnerable households in all five slum areas. Watch the video below to find out more about this distribution and why it is so crucial during lockdown. 

Kyaka II refugee settlement

All the early years education work we support in Kyaka II has been shut down as a result of government instruction and all international agencies have pulled out (apart from those offering medical and food supplies).

​With the World Food Programme cutting rations to refugee in Uganda, we have responded by delivering essential supplies to 200 elderly-headed households, across 10 zones of the settlement. 

Read about our work in Kyaka II

Read about our work in Jinja

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LEBANON
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Already dealing with a huge slump in currency and a rise in unemployment and inflation, coronavirus has compounded the problem in the country. The Lebanese poor are facing hunger and beginning to protest in the streets again.

Refugees in the informal settlements are on even stricter lockdown than the rest of the country and completely cut off from work. The military have been preventing anyone from entering the camps.

The Lebanese poor also have very little support, so our partners have been distributing food and hygiene parcels to hundreds of vulnerable families around Beirut. 

For the first month of lockdown, the school we support in Zahle was closed and deep cleaned.  Homework was set regularly for all the children and refugee teachers continued to be paid so they can support their families through lockdown.

Our partners have also been able to deliver some training to refugee communities on social distancing and the prevention of viral spread. ​

Read about our work in Lebanon

From the 11th May, children returned to school on a 3-day shift system, observing social distancing. After a brief return to full lockdown until the 19th May, around 30% of students have now been able to return. 

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UK 

In the UK office, it is business as usual with staff working remotely from home, talking daily with our international partners and keeping engaged with our supporter community. 

We will continue to keep this page updated over the coming weeks, so check back in for news on how we are supporting the communities that we work with. 

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