Meet five amazing people making a difference in lockdown
Despite the difficulties so many of us are facing during lockdown, we’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible things our supporters, corporate partners and the children and young people we work with have been achieving during the coronavirus crisis.
1. Ida gets a haircut to help girls get an education
"I heard about Plan International UK helping girls like me but who don’t get to go to school or choose what they want to be when they grow up. So I wanted to do something to help."
With UK hairdressers currently closed under lockdown regulations, seven-year-old Ida saw an opportunity to give girls a better chance of going to school – by cutting off seven inches of her hair at home.
Ida initially set out to raise £100 through her hair cut, “100 times more than what the tooth fairy brings”. However, since she had her hair cut last Friday by her mum Kate, Ida has raised 14 times that, reaching a fantastic £1,437.
If Ida’s hair-raising efforts have inspired you, put your hair in the hands of your loved ones and check out our Home Hairstyle Challenge.
2. Chung’s invention to help stop the spread of coronavirus
"I wanted to create this device to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, so life will soon return to normal."
14-year-old Chung is a Plan International sponsored child. He has a passion for electronics and is known in his village for mending broken radios and phones.
So when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Vietnam, he decided to design a device that could help his community and used his skills to create an automatic hand sanitiser machine, which has now been placed in the centre of the village.
“People can use it to avoid unnecessary contact and save time as it only needs two to three seconds to work, which also encourages people to use the hand sanitiser more often,” he explains.
If you want to help more communities fight coronavirus, you can donate to our Children's Emergency Fund today.
3. Mia takes on her own marathon
"I wanted to continue to raise funds for Plan International UK's incredible projects which improve the chances and opportunities for children here and the world over, in particular girls and young women."
April’s London Marathon being postponed didn’t stop Team Plan runner Mia taking on 26.2 miles for children and girls worldwide.
To stay within the UK’s lockdown regulations, Mia split her marathon across a week, finishing on Sunday 26 April – which would have been the day of the London Marathon.
“I really wanted to do something that marked my marathon 2020 journey and to pay tribute to the amazing generosity of my friends and family who have donated to my fund as well as encouraging and supporting me through the long training process,”
Mia says. Follow Mia’s lead and find out how you can be part of Team Plan.
4. Koumba sews face masks in Mali
"These face masks are reusable. We know how to create them and we can show others how to do it, thanks to the training we received at the centre."
15-year-old Koumba is a student at Plan International’s apprenticeship centre, where she is training to be a tailor.
When the first positive case of coronavirus was announced, the price of handwashing kits, sanitiser gels and face masks increased. “Only the privileged few have the possibility of buying them,” she explains.
Wanting to help keep her community safe, Koumba and her fellow apprentices decided to use their sewing skills to make face masks from washable cloth. With training and materials from Plan International, they took to their sewing machines.
So far 450 face masks have been hand sewn by the apprentices and they are being distributed to the most vulnerable in Koumba’s community.
5. Hector takes on 2K every day in May
"I want to help children in refugee camps, as the coronavirus spreads they need our help as they are living very close together and don't have everything we have to stay inside."
Hector is another incredible seven-year-old taking on a challenge to make a difference for children worldwide. He’ll be running 2km every day throughout May to raise money for Plan International UK’s Coronavirus: Children’s Emergency Appeal.
Hector decided to take on the challenge after his local parkrun was cancelled following the coronavirus outbreak. By running 2km every day Hector has already raised over £1,000 for those who are most vulnerable as a result of the outbreak.
These five people have gone above and beyond to support their communities, showing us that despite the difficulties of this pandemic, we can stand together and help each other through this.
If you are looking for ways to make your lockdown more meaningful, why not find out more about our Home Hairstyle Challenge or get in touch with our fundraising team to help support our Children's Emergency Fund.
