COVID-19 Status Update for Child Sponsors

World Vision Cares

Child Sponsorship: Protecting Children's Health

The scale and spread of COVID-19 globally is a concern for us. In many countries where World Vision sponsored children live, the risks are even greater – health systems can be weak and proper healthcare may not be as accessible to them. We are monitoring the situation in every country we work in.

Child Sponsorship has made it possible for World Vision to respond to this crisis from the beginning. We are supporting efforts by local health authorities, schools and local partners to prevent the spread of the virus, creating awareness and educating locals, helping to set up public handwashing stations, and distributing soap, sanitiser, and masks where appropriate. These preventative measures have always been an important part of our child sponsorship programme because in places of extreme poverty improving health, water, sanitation and hygiene saves lives; now, more than ever.

To keep you informed on the situation in your sponsored child’s community, we will be providing reports here regularly. Sponsors may continue to correspond with your sponsored child (it is still recommended to do so via e-letters), however, kindly do note that it may require more time, beyond the usual 3 months, to reach your sponsored child or to receive a reply from them due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and delays within the postal services.

[Last Updated on 24 September 2021]

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Bangladesh (Wazipur)

Cases in the country has been decreasing, despite the instability of the situation. Children are still staying and learning from home through online classes and through educational materials provided by the schools and World Vision team.

World Vision continues to work in the community and assist the children by:

  • Continuing to raise awareness on COVID-19 preventive measures
  • Educating families on changing their diet to include immunity strengthening meals
  • Educating families on the vaccines
  • Supporting hygiene kits to 100 most vulnerable households
  • Distributing protective equipment for 40 health service providers
  • Distributed hand sanitisers and masks to 37 front line staff and volunteers
  • Working with stakeholders, including the government, to ensure the children and families will receive the vaccine
  • Organizing life skills education for children and community members
  • Distributing 1,200 mosquito nets to children and households
Cambodia (Kirivong)

Cases in the country have been decreasing but with the Delta variant still present in the country, schools remain closed and children continue to stay home safe while learning online or through resources provided by the schools. World Vision is also encouraging learning among children through borrowing books from the school libraries or reading camps in the community.

World Vision is also continuing to support the community in this time by:

  • Collaborating with the government and local authorities by supporting quarantine facilities and affected families with face mask, alcohol, soap and detergent
  • Providing cash support, for food consumption, to 91 most affected and vulnerable families
  • Providing food support to the families affected by food shortages as a result of COVID-19
China (Yaozhou)

As the situation remains controlled in the country, the children have resumed life as per usual and have returned to schools. The government is also working on arranging vaccinations for the locals while World Vision continues to support the children and community by providing COVID-19 supplies such as sanitisers, face masks and hygiene kits to schools.

Ethiopia (Yaya Gulele)

Children have returned back to school, by strictly adhering to the preventive measures and through close supervision of the children.

World Vision continues to support the children and community members by:

  • Supporting food items, sanitary and cleaning items
  • Providing soap to all children in the area
  • Distributing stationery materials and food support for the vulnerable children as they return to school
  • Raising awareness among children and community members through training workshops and household visits
Indonesia (Ende)

The community’s lockdown restrictions have been eased, allowing World Vision and the locals more flexibility in their day to day activities.

World Vision has been and continues to support the children and community by:

  • Conducting COVID-19 prevention campaigns
  • Supporting children’s nutrition by facilitating communities to cultivate nutritious gardens and cook nutritious foods
  • By supporting schools to disseminate learning materials to children
  • Supporting the development of life skills during COVID-19 for children
  • Constructing water infrastructure in the community
  • Continued efforts to equip the community and its health centres with COVID-19 prevention equipment
Jeruselam, West Bank (South Hebron)

Children have begun to return to school, improving their psychological state, as they meet with their friends and return to receiving education face-to-face. Children also continue to practice COVID-19 preventive measures by wearing masks and sanitizing. Teachers are also fully vaccinated to ensure the children are protected while in school.

Children are also exposed to psycho social activities conducted by trained facilitators, helping children to explore and express their socio-emotional themes such as anger, fear, stress, tension, conflict, respect, bullying, assertiveness and friendship in a safe and non-confrontational environment.

Community health workers are also working to educate mothers in clinics and through home visits on the importance of vaccinations and by disseminating vaccination awareness messages on social media platforms.

Mongolia (Selenge)

Cases in the country continue to be on the rise but the children, families and World Vision staff have adapted to this new normal. The new academic year began on 1st September 2021 and with 85% of children aged 12 and above, vaccinated, they are able to return to school with permission from their parents and caregivers. Virtual classes are also available for the children to turn to.

World Vision continues to support children and the community as the new normal continues by:

  • Providing ‘back-to-school’ stationery sets to 1,100 children
  • Supporting those affected by COVID-19 with books, toys and food support
  • Partnering with the Mongolian telecommunications company to provide smartphones to the most vulnerable children to enable them to have internet access – benefiting about 25 to 40 children in the community.
  • Conducting virtual trainings for children and parents
  • Conducting household visits, while adhering to the safety instructions
  • Supporting schools and kindergartens with electronic thermometers and hygiene kits in preparation for the reopening of the school year.   
Myanmar (Taikkyi)

Cases in the country have been on the rise. Children have been spending their time at home as schools have been closed since July 2021.

At this time, World Vision continues to support the children and community by:

  • Providing food support (rice bags, cooking oil, noodles and beans) to 1,599 households to ensure food and nutrition security   
  • Distributing learning kits for children in Early Child Care Development and Primary schools
  • Distributing nutrition packages to the most vulnerable mother of children under two years old

Due to the declaration of the CAT III National Response in World Vision Myanmar, the team will focus on providing life-saving support such as food support while suspending any other sponsorship operations. Additionally, as local postal services are also restricted, due to the political situation, and World Vision staff are currently unable to send or receive mails.

Nepal (Sindhuli East)

The community remains under lockdown due to the country’s increasing infection rates. Children are still at home and continue to study from home while contributing to household chores and playing with friends to stay busy.

World Vision continues to help the children and community in this time by:

  • Continued awareness creation of COVID-19 preventive measures, both within the community and online platforms
  • Supporting affected children and families by distributing 1,006 hygiene kits
  • Distributing 1,985 self-learning materials to children
  • Monitoring children through phone calls and during the distribution of the support items
  • Established handwashing corners in 261 households
  • Distributing 4,251 hygiene kits to the children
  • Raising awareness on disaster response and COVID-19 prevention through the distribution of educational materials

The team is also in partnership with Relief Nepal and SIDS Nepal to provide food support to 3,083 most vulnerable families, nutritious food support to 652 malnourished children and 100 hygiene kits to the most vulnerable children and COVID-19 affected families.

Philippines (Antique)

Antique remains under quarantine due to the increase of cases in the province. While quarantine measures prevent children aged 15 and below as well as the elderly aged 60 and above from going out, the school year for 2021 – 2022 has resumed and are continuing to implement the distance learning approach.

Though gatherings are still prohibited and subjected to the authorities’ approval, World Vision continues to work in the community by:

  • Distributing life skills worksheets and booklets, with the help of community volunteers and facilitators, to educate children and families on child protection and spiritual nurture.
  • Distributing Disaster Risk Response (DRR) play cards to specific groups of children and schools to continue educating them on this aspect.
  • Providing beneficiaries  with seeds and provision of rice incentives.
  • Integrating awareness campaigns on COVID-19 and the vaccination in the communities with local partners.
  • Facilitating home visits and support for children that have reported to have with health needs and child protections issues.
  • Supporting the rural health unit and district hospital with disinfectant kits
  • Supporting COVID-19 affected families with hygiene kits and food packs

The team also continues to monitor the health and wellbeing of the children in the community with the help of community volunteers and plans to carry out its awareness campaign on COVID-19  and the vaccination while distributing the hygiene and school kits to the children.

Sri Lanka (Lindula)

The country is experiencing its 3rd wave of COVID-19 cases and has also began its vaccination initiative with 32.3% of the population vaccinated. Schools in the community continue to remain closed with students relying on distance learning or online classes, where possible.

As the World Vision team continues to work from home, they are still supporting the children by:

  • Providing dry rations to quarantined families, with the support from local authorities
  • Supporting the most vulnerable families by providing for their most basic needs and ensuring food support
  • Arranging for fun and meaningful activities for the children as they stay home
  • Encouraging children to reach out to World Vision team and volunteers to seek support for their mental health
  • Assisting in the vaccination processes

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all mails have been on hold and the team is unable to mail out reply letters or forward gifts to the sponsored child as quickly. The team will do so as soon as it is possible for them.

Thailand (Bo Kluea)

Though cases are on the rise in the country, the Bo Kluea community remains in the green zone. This allows World Vision to continue visiting the children to carry out child-focused activities, partnering with community volunteers, while ensuring to comply with the local restrictions.

Children have been going to school as per normal, while observing safe distancing, staying within the community, washing hands and wearing masks. World Vision has also supported their education during this time by providing children with the educational necessities and supporting the development of vocational skills for the children and youths.

The team has also continued to support the income-generating occupations and building food security for children and their families. World Vision will continue to work, within the limits of the local restrictions, to carry out the last phase of activities before leaving the community.

Vietnam (Son Tra)

Though the cases in the country is on the decline and the vaccination processes have begun, the community remains under movement restriction and children remain home as schools are closed and classes are held online.

World Vision staff are also restricted to working from home but continue to support the community by:

  • Conducting communication activities and distributing life skills materials for children to help them cope and reduce stress
  • Educating parents on supporting their children during this time as well as teaching them to manage their own stress
  • Provided most vulnerable families and children with food support
  • Conducting communication campaigns to cope with COVID-19
  • Distributing life skills books for children to make use of when they are home
  • Meeting the needs of the most vulnerable children and families that were required to isolate at home
Zambia (Musosolokwe)

While the country is in its 3rd wave of COVID-19, cases have been on the decline but the community remains safe with no reports of cases over the past two months. As such, schools have reopened since 23rd August 2021, for all grades.

World Vision is continuing to support the children and community at this time by:

  • Continuing to sensitise the children, community members and schools on COVID-19 and its preventive measures.
  • Providing material support for schools
  • Partnering with the Ministry of Health to understand the safest and best ways to resume sponsorship activities without endangering the children and community members.