One year on: how your support for our coronavirus appeal has changed children’s lives
A year after our appeal launched, we look back at what your donations have made possible.
It’s a milestone none of us imagined we’d have to mark. Today is one year since we launched our Coronavirus: Children’s Emergency Appeal and we’re still seeing the impact of the pandemic on all our lives, and the lives of children around the world.
In the last 12 months – despite everything we’ve faced here in the UK – your support for our work has been incredible.
Your generous donations mean we’ve been able to work with our colleagues and partners globally, adapting our programmes and delivering essential supplies to children and their families.
Thanks to you, we’ve been able to reach:
More than 96,100 families in India with food kits
including lentils, rice and flour, to meet children’s nutritional needs
6,145 girls and young women in Paraguay
with hygiene kits, so they can manage their periods the way they choose
23,000 children in Sierra Leone with solar radios
so they can continue learning during lockdown
‘I feel protected’
In Indonesia, schools were closed for eight months because of the pandemic. As they’ve started to open again in low-risk areas, we’ve been working with the government and school authorities to make sure hygiene measures are in place, to help students stay safe.
“I’m happy to be back at school and have mixed feelings of joy and excitement,” Angelina, 13, told us. “I get my temperature checked and wash my hands carefully with soap and water before the beginning of class.
“Thanks to Plan International, I have a face mask and face shield. I’m not worried anymore as I feel protected.”
‘My family were very happy’
In Peru, we’ve distributed cash and food vouchers to over 20,000 families of sponsored children – including 12-year-old Genesis, whose parents have been unable to work because of the pandemic.
"It was a bit difficult for us, because we did not have as much money as before for our food,” Genesis says. “Plan International gave my mother a voucher. With this voucher, we could buy groceries. My family were very happy."
‘We have a right to say no’
The pandemic has also significantly increased threats to children's safety and wellbeing, making our child protection work vital. In Indonesia, our colleagues have been working with children and young people, parents, carers and community representatives on the ‘No! Go Tell’ approach – as Monika, 14, explains.
“My friends and I learnt that we need to tell strangers, or people we know, who act inappropriately ‘No!’, and then Go and Tell a trusted adult,” she explains.
"Parents and elders never told us that it may involve a person we know and who appears to be friendly. We have a right to say no to a person who touches us inappropriately or threatens our safety."
A future of food crisis and famine
Thanks to you, these stories speak of hope and resilience – but we know we still have huge challenges ahead.
The pandemic has led to a steep rise in hunger in countries already struggling with conflict, climate change and economic turbulence – and we’re now on the brink of a devastating global food crisis.
If conditions continue to deteriorate, famine is a real risk in parts of South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Northeast Nigeria, and Yemen. Our colleagues are working in many of the countries bearing the brunt of the crisis, rapidly scaling up programmes including food distributions and child protection.
It’s because of you that our life-saving response has been possible. For every child and their family you’ve helped us reach in the last year – thank you.
