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 many people won’t have doctors and health professionals to turn to if they fall sick. We are monitoring the situation in every country we work in.

Our Area Programmes supported by child sponsors are now focused on protecting children and community from the spread of the virus.

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, sharing stay-healthy messaging, 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 – and now, more than ever.

To keep you informed on the situation in your sponsored child’s community, we will be providing reports here regularly. Please come back to this page for the latest updates.

You can also refer to our COVID-19-Child Sponsorship FAQs for more information.

In order to protect the world’s most vulnerable against the rapid global spread of COVID-19, World Vision is actively working against COVID-19 right now – everywhere we work – in nearly 100 countries worldwide. Read more here.

[Last Updated on 8 December 2020]

Bangladesh (Wazipur)

Lockdown measures in the country have been lifted yet children continue to remain home as schools will remain closed until January 2021. In the meantime, learning is being conducted remotely as much as possible.

As the community tries to shift into the new normal by practising the necessary measures, the team is focused on prioritizing child wellbeing and holistic development for them through regular activities.

World Vision continues to support children and community members by:

  • Close monitoring of children and their families.
  • Encouraging parents and caregivers to continue supporting children’s home-based education.
  • Coordinating with Upazila health complex to ensure health facilities for the community children.
  • Working with and mobilizing various and relevant stakeholders (including the government) to ensure children’s well-being and their rights are established.

The team will also be identifying and distributing hygiene kits to vulnerable households and continue educating community members on protective measures against COVID-19.

Cambodia (Kirivong)

As of 30 November 2020, schools have closed again due to the rise in cases and will remain closed until 11 January 2021. Children have been staying at home since and have been supported by World Vision through the distribution of hygiene kits, soaps, sanitizers, nutritious food as well as providing children with continued educational support by conducting activities through the community’s reading camps.

The team is also working to support families affected by COVID-19 by addressing their most immediate needs to help them recover.

China (Yaozhou)

Schools remain open and the community’s children centres have also reopened. As the situation in Yaozhou Area Programme is gradually returning to its normal, the team continues to monitor the situation.

However, as most families have recovered from COVID-19 and children remain unaffected, the team is now focused on plans for 2021.

Ethiopia (Yaya Gulele)

After eight months of lockdown, children have started to return to school with the support of the district education office to ensure the health and safety of students. As the lockdown affected the majority of the academic year, children will receive tutorial and makeup classes when they return. While children have been stuck at home, World Vision staff have been supporting their learning by encouraging children to read at home through community awareness activities.

The team is also still working to ensure that community members and children adhere to the COVID-19 prevention safety measures. They will also continue to support and conduct recovery efforts, especially so for the most-needy families.

Indonesia (Ende)

Children are now able to return to school, but in groups of 15 to ensure their continued safety and health. As their learning did not stop during the lockdown, the children are now also taking their mid-semester examinations.

World Vision staff continues to support children’s education by training teachers and school supervisors on the Education Learning Plan and Psychosocial Support, in addition to the distribution of educational materials conducted previously.

The team is also conducting training and awareness for children to improve their life skills, prevention of COVID-19 and adaptation to the new normal as well teaching them how to improve their nutritional and hygiene habits.

Jeruselam, West Bank (South Hebron)

As children have started returning to school, in batches of not more than 15 from 20th September 2020, World Vision in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Education, has supported schools and clinics with disinfection materials and hygiene kits.

Teachers are also working to create a safe environment for children to balance both their health and learning needs. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health have also been working to ensure that teachers and students are prepared and aware of the protocols in the event there is a need for schools to shut down again.

World Vision continues to provide support for community members and children by raising awareness among 282 mothers on:

  • COVID-19 prevention meaures
  • The importance of providing and how to provide psychosocial support
  • Breastfeeding
  • Communication with children and how to play with them

The team has also supported the local Ministry of Health through outreach activities such as preparing clinics to attend to mothers, supporting the child vaccination teams and continued education on COVID-19 prevention.

Mongolia (Selenge)

The community is facing a lockdown since 11th November 2020 and schools have closed again and will remain closed until February 2021. Lessons will be conducted remotely, as much possible, until 18th December 2020.

As World Vision staff are also required to stay home throughout the lockdown, they have been monitoring children remotely and have continued to raise awareness on COVID-19 prevention through media channels. The team will also be supporting families during this period with coal and food from December.

Myanmar (Taikkyi)

The lockdown has yet to be lifted and children, families and staff members are limited to staying home. Children have only been able to keep up with their education with the learning kits provided by World Vision in June 2020.

As the community has been facing lockdown since March 2020, families’ livelihood has been severely affected as they are struggling to provide food for their families. World Vision is also providing these families with more support and is in the works to provide further support.

As all flights, except for relief flights, has been paused until 31st December, the team is unable to receive or process any mails or gifts. However, they are still able to process e-letters, with additional delays to be expected.

Nepal (Sindhuli East)

As World Vision continues our COVID-19 response, we are now also integrating recovery activities focused on children’s nutrition, health, education and protection into our programming. We are continuing work to limit the spread of the virus by developing and disseminating prevention messages through radio and animated videos for TV and social media; providing hygiene kits for families and installing handwashing facilities at schools and quarantine centres.

The team is also strengthening local health systems by providing personal protective equipment and other supplies like disinfectant and thermometers, installing handwashing facilities at health posts, and providing isolation and quarantine centres with hygiene supplies. Children impacted by COVID-19 are also being supported by broadcasting remote learning programs on radio and TV, strengthening child protection services, collaborating with a specialist organisation to provide communities with psychosocial support services, and providing vulnerable families with nutrient supplements, food support, cash vouchers and agricultural tools and inputs.

Philippines (Antique)

Children aged 15 and below and the elderly aged 65 and above are prohibited from going out as curfews are still in place. However, children are kept occupied by gardening in their backyards which also helps them meet their food needs and, in some cases, sell these produce to neighbours and nearby communities.

As schools have yet to resume in person, children are still learning from home through self-learning modules as planned by the local Department of Education.

World Vision is also focused on supporting and implementing recovery efforts in the community by coordinating with the local task force. The team is also partnering with community volunteers to conduct the following:

  • In-person child monitoring
  • Worksheets for children’s life skills are distributed to houses
  • Home-visits to the 400 beneficiaries of the FORWARD* project
  • Continued integration of COVID-19 awareness with help from local partners

Additionally, as Christmas holds significance, the team will be providing a pack of a spaghetti pack, sanitizers and bath soap for 1577 families.

*FORWARD – Food for Education with Agricultural Development and Sustainability. Participants of FORWARD are provided with 10 kilograms of rice.

Sri Lanka (Lindula)

Schools were shut again from 1st October 2020 and as of 23rd November, only secondary schools have reopened while primary schools remain shut. However, schools have been trying to implement remote learning, though this is only limited to grades that are facing government examinations. World Vision has also been supporting children’s remote learning by printing and distributing exam papers and learning materials for 16,409 children.

The team has also been supporting the community cope with and begin to recover from COVID-19 by:

  • Providing 187 handwashing facilities to schools, hospitals, clinics and public places.
  • Distributing dry rations packs and disinfectants to 5393 and 5693 households, respectively, during the first wave of COVID-19.
  • 5693 hygiene kits were also distributed to women-headed families, pregnant mothers, differently-abled individuals and lactating mothers.
  • 59 households were also supported to start a new business and 41 households were supported agriculturally to aid in income generation.
  • 175 families that were quarantined due to the second wave were also provided with dry rations.

As Sri Lanka’s postal services have temporarily halted the delivery of letters to the western provinces and central post offices, additional delays in processing correspondences are to be expected.

Thailand (Bo Kluea)

World Vision is continuing to work to prevent the spread of the virus by developing and disseminating prevention messages in Thai and Burmese languages, conducting house visits to share information, and providing handwashing supplies and face masks in communities. Local health systems are also being strengthened by providing health workers and community volunteers with personal protective equipment like masks and gloves, handwashing supplies and thermometers.

The team is also supporting families impacted by COVID-19 by providing children with 77,500 food packages, including drinking water, rice, tinned fish and noodles, and educating children, families and communities in how to prevent the virus and protect children’s mental, physical and social wellbeing through social media and an online platform, which will be rolled out nationally through school networks.

Vietnam (Son Tra)

Children are continuing to go to school and practice proper handwashing and hygiene habits. As the risk of COVID-19 is yet to be fully eliminated, masks are still being used as well.

World Vision will continue to support the community by distributing masks and hand sanitisers for 3,300 children and most-vulnerable children. The team will also be implementing livelihood support for households with children to recover their businesses.

Zambia (Musosolokwe)

As the lockdown has been lifted, children are generally coping well and are continuing to go to school. Schools remain equipped with foot-operated hand washing stations, soap, infra-red scanners and disinfectant supplies.

The team will also continue to raise awareness in the community to uphold vigilance among the community members.