COVID 19 and Children: An update on the Data, the impact and the ground experience

20^th Interactive KNOWLEDGE UPDATE on                                                     

COVID 19 and Children: An update on the Data, the impact and the ground experience

In a policy briefing from April 2020 titled ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’, UNICEF stated that ‘children are not the face of this pandemic, but they risk being among its biggest victims.’ More than a year later, this still holds true. The lives of children have been disrupted on multiple fronts – educationally, socially, developmentally and structurally. And vulnerable children have shouldered a disproportionate share of this burden, as the disruptive impact of this pandemic continues to compound the struggle they already face due to poverty. If we do not act to improve the lives of our children, there is potential that this disruption can cause permanent scarring. This session aims to bring together people who work with children and those who are invested in children’s wellbeing to discuss the available data on the state of our children, the impact our work has had and is yet to have, and share what we have experienced from the field.

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, and more than 450 days later, we are still living with the multiple crises it has spawned. In addition to a public health crisis, the pandemic has resulted in a learning crisis, a nutritional crisis, an economic crisis and a mental health crisis. And one of the groups being disproportionately affected by these crises are children. As an organisation that prioritises the wellbeing and upliftment of vulnerable children, it is vital for us to analyse the data that has been emerging about the impact of COVID-19 on children to better inform our interventions in the field. This document aims to present the intricate interplay of factors that has led to increased vulnerability for children, and has served as the starting point for an organisation-wide brainstorming for how to better serve our children through the pandemic in the months to come.

About the Speaker: Ms. Ramya Devaraj

Ramya Devaraj is a graduate of King’s College London with a M.Sc. in International Marketing, and of Christ University with a B.A. in Communications, English and Psychology. She is currently interning at Shanti Ashram where she is researching the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable sections of society. Some of her past work includes research in crowd funding for Indian NGOs, and leading and building a media team for an education-based NGO. Ramya plans to pursue a career in development, where she aims to drive collaborative action between the public and private sectors to accelerate social change.

More details- PPT: Children-and-COVID.pdf

Programme