On 20-22 December 2021, 143 youths came together for the sixth edition of our annual Youth For Change Conference (YFCC). The theme of the conference this year was Aftershocks, and focused on the relatively less well-known, but no less severe, secondary impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable children and youth around the world.

Since the pandemic began, 16-year-old Kampamba has seen an increase in students that struggle with teenage pregnancies, sexual abuse and defilement cases, and being made to work in cattle herding, in his community. Many students also lack the resources and technology needed to access the government’s online lessons.

In South Sudan, child marriage affects 51.5% percent of girls in the country, is on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and along with early pregnancy, both issues are causing an increase in school dropout rates. For 17-year-old Aluel who dreams of being a lawyer, life only became more problematic as a result of the coronavirus.

22-year-old World Vision UK Youth Advocate Asini is passionate about using her privilege and power to make a difference in the lives of those who were not so fortunate. Speaking at various platforms both in her personal spheres and in public spheres, Asini brings light to the issues of child marriage and girl rights to those around her, inspiring them to take steps to make a change.

12-year-old James, together with his team, was invited by World Vision Philippines to join an Anti-Online Sexual Exploitation of Children workshop in 2019. The workshop taught James that dangers can lurk inside any child’s home. Since then, James has boldly championed the cause, going from classroom to classroom to raise awareness about the problem of online sexual exploitation.

17-year-old Akhi used to work long hours in hazardous working conditions. Constrained by poverty, Akhi had dropped out of school in order to earn money to relieve her family's economic situation. After World Vision Bangladesh removed her from child labour, Akhi was unable to return to school as she was too old to reenter the education system. Undeterred, she was enrolled in a vocational school to equip her with skills.

23-year-old Moisi is the eldest son of a family with five children. Moisi's father, having lost a hand, has been unable to work. Moisi's mother has struggled with a mental disability for the last 20 years. Their home was built almost 70 years ago but was destroyed by bombing during the 1997 civil war in Albania. His family members lived in the house's animal shelter as all the other rooms in the house had become uninhabitable. With his father in retirement due to physical disability, the family's household finances were strained.

Youth Leader Edren had suffered from the traumatic loss of his father and grandmother from heart attacks because they had failed to receive immediate and urgent medical care in their home located in the remote area of Pangasinan, north of the Philippines. Determined to prevent similar incidences from happening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edren started Go Bike to offer immediate healthcare in his village.

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage worldwide. As of 2021, 66% of girls in Bangladesh are married before they turn 18 and 32% are married before they turn 15. In addition, UNICEF has predicted 10 million more child marriages across the next 10 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.