The ongoing pandemic has made life more difficult for vulnerable communities globally. In resource poor communities, more families face food insecurity due to the impact of COVID, and other factors such as climate change and conflict. For the last 18 months our goal has been to keep vulnerable communities educated on COVID prevention, safe from COVID, and to ensure that children continue with schoolwork.
The COVID education workshops launched last year, provide information on COVID prevention and safety. The goal of these workshops is to provide a safe, clean, and supervised place for children to interact and express themselves through educational activities such as drawing, singing or creative writing. Children are encouraged to express themselves freely and share their views on the pandemic through writing, drawing, or conversation. The workshops are held in a safe manner and children learn about the importance of frequent hand washing with soap, and the proper way to use masks. These workshops are free and open to all children from Matero and neighboring communities. Masks and a small snack are provided.
A story that illustrates the impact of program activities is given below: Tim, a 10-year-old boy was not on good terms with his aunt who is his sole caregiver. His stubborn and disrespectful behavior was a source of concern for his family. A friend of his aunt advised her to discuss the situation with our team. Subsequently, a social worker met and counselled them individually. During the counselling session it was discovered that Tim was not fully aware or understood that his mom had passed away. He missed his mom and could not understand why he had to live with his aunt. Once the situation was explained to him, he felt better and started accepting the new situation. Now both Tim and his aunt are happy. Recently, Tim’s aunt visited the center to thank our team for their counsel and advice.
We plan to continue to continue to keep communities informed about COVID, so that families can stay healthy, and children can attend school.
Thank you!
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Wishing all moms, a beautiful Mother’s Day. Today we are thinking of mothers and aunts in Africa whose families are vulnerable to COVID. Families in Zambia are especially vulnerable as they have little or no information about COVID and have weaker immune systems if living with HIV.
Since July 2020, our weekly educational games and activities program has been replaced by COVID education workshops for children from resource poor neighborhoods in Lusaka, Zambia. During these workshops, children learn about COVID, the importance of frequent hand washing with soap, and the proper way to use masks. Masks and a small snack are provided. These program activities continue to keep resource poor communities safe from COVID, so that community residents can stay healthy and children can attend school.
Thanks for keeping children and families safe from COVID.
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New Format: Since July 2020, regular “Safe Park” activities were replaced by COVID education sessions since most families in the community have little knowledge about COVID spread and prevention. Two COVID education workshops are conducted and about 40 children attend every week. Masks and a small snack are provided. In addition, insecticide treated mosquito bed nets are provided to chidlren and their families to keep them safe from malaria. Pre-COVID, “Safe Park” program activities included educational games and workshops and were designed for children to learn and play in a safe environment.
Goal: Our goal is to keep families informed so that they follow all protocols (hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask) to stay safe from COVID. To date, more than 500 children have participated in these education sessions.
Impact of Program activities: Children and their families have better knowledge about COVID prevention and the importance of using masks and frequent handwashing. A story of a beneficiary family below highlights the effectiveness of these educational workshops.
Mercy (not her real name) attended a COVID education workshop last year. She received education on how to prevent COVID and received masks to keep her safe. In addition, her family received insecticide treated nets and she now shares the bed net with her grandmother. Mercy is not scared of falling sick with malaria anymore. Since receiving the net, no one in her family has been sick from malaria.
Thanks for keeping children and families safe from COVID.
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2020 brought a whole host of unexpected challenges. However, since we know our communities well, and with a few adaptations in service delivery, none of the children or their families contracted COVID. We strengthened our education, and training systems to ensure that we can continue to provide the services our community needs while keeping everyone safe from COVID. Your continued support helped build the infrastructure essential for an effective response to the pandemic. Thank you! For a glimpse into a COVID education workshop watch this short video.
2021 may bring more uncertainty, but our faith in the strength of our program activities has been confirmed. Thank you for the gift of health to HIV+ orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.
Sending you and your family a tsunami of love for the holiday season and for 2021.
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New “Safe Park” Format: “Safe Park” was designed for the children from the community to learn and play in a safe environment. Last April, regular program activities were replaced by COVID education workshops for children. These workshops are free and open to all children from the community. Since most families in the community had little knowledge about COVID, education was provided. Two COVID prevention workshops are conducted every week. PPE and a small snack are provided. About 40 children attend each week.
Goal: Our goal is to keep families informed so that they follow all protocols (hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask) to stay safe from COVID.
Impact of Program activities: As a result of attendance in COVID education workshops, children have better knowledge about COVID prevention and the importance of using masks and frequent handwashing. Stories of two children given below highlight the effectiveness of these educational workshops.
Claire (name changed) is a 12-year-old who tested positive (her parents are positive) when she was three years old. She has been on ARV medication for the past few years. Before she started medication, she complained of diarrhea, cough, rash, and fever. After she started ARV’s her health started improving, was attending school but did not like it much. Caire has been participating enthusiastically in “Safe Park” games and workshops for the past two years. She enjoys interacting with other children, playing games, and learning about COVID prevention. With regular participation, she knows how to prevent COVID, her mental health has improved, and her self-esteem is better. She is a fourth grader and likes school.
Nancy (name changed) is a bright 14-year-old, studying in grade 10. She is enrolled in “Safe Park” and in our pediatric HIV care programs. Prior to enrolling in “Safe Park”, she had several questions and doubts about her HIV positive status (her parents are living with HIV). In her own words, “ I was adhering well to treatment, but I never wanted people around as I felt there was no need to live because I had already been given a death sentence’’. Participation in HIV workshops and interacting with other children (both positive and negative) helped her adjust to her positive status. She says, “Safe Park has made me feel free and know am not the only one in this situation”. She is now better adjusted to her status, knows how to prevent COVID, and likes interacting with peers.
Program activities help several hundred children like Claire, and Nancy to improve in physical and mental health, learn about HIV and COVID, and are better adjusted to their difficult circumstances.
Thanks for keeping children and families safe from COVID.
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