The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated global challenges like poverty and access to education, putting millions more children at risk of child labour, in every sector, in every country.
Throughout 2020, the ECLT Foundation partnered with local and national actors to take urgent action to support the children, farmers and families in communities we serve: helping children to access online learning with data packages, donating additional seeds to families, constructing water borehole wells, and working with farmers’ associations to share important information about the coronavirus and its potential impact on child labour. By collaborating across sectors during this pandemic, we have been able to build understanding in rural communities on how to protect themselves from covid, help secure food supply for families, and support farmers to continue to get their crops to market.
- 280,000+ community members reached with awareness raising material following WHO recommendations on how to keep safe from COVID-19.
- 150+ schools were supported to improve hygiene, with handwashing stations, thermometers, and soap
- 10,000+ masks and bars of soap were distributed to farmers and families.
A time to keep learning
“ECLT has helped us access internet so that we can continue studying. Now our teacher provides us with tasks online, we download them, complete the work, and send it back. It is a great help for us to continue learning during the pandemic and not fall behind” Osvin, 15 year-old student, Guatemala
During the school closures due to COVID-19 in Guatemala, the Ministry of Education set up online learning for students, so that they could keep learning even at home. To support this initiative, and to ensure education continuity for the rural communities who do not have access to internet, the ECLT Foundation provided over 190 students with data packages. With the provided airtime, the students were able to continue to have frequent discussions with teachers, receive, complete, and return their homework, and even attend lessons from their own homes.
ECLT also supported schools in Malawi with info-sheets, handwashing stations, hand sanitizer, soap, and additional school supplies movable chalk boards and chalk boxes) so that they could re-open in keeping within the Government’s guidelines for a safe return to school.
- • 36,000+ children in Tanzania can now access better hygiene supplies in school
- • 58,800+ children in Malawi have handwashing stations, facemasks for the vulnerable and better stocked classrooms
- • 190+ students in Guatemala received data packages so that they could keep learning during school closures
Clean water means improved health and much more!
“The borehole has greatly changed the situation in our community, in our school, and in our lives. Before, we had no drinking water we drank unsafe water from rivers and wells, even sharing it with some animals. Now people can use clean water that is good for the health of our children; students at school now have better personal hygiene.” Marieta Andre, farmer and mother, Mozambique
In Mozambique, ECLT worked with implementing partner FAA to install five water holes across five rural communities to provide families with safe water for drinking, washing and irrigation. Over 4,400 children now benefit from clean water.
As part of ECLT’s ongoing support in Malawi, solar water pumps were also installed in three districts to provide easier access to safe drinking water to irrigate crops in the local area. In the face of COVID-19, access to hygiene became critical for many societies around the world. We found that the positive outcomes of access to clean water on the lives of families and farmers went far beyond those that were expected.
- • 13,000+ community members now have access to clean drinking water in Mozambique
- • 3,000+ community members in Malawi now using clean water at home and on their farms.
- • 30+ committee members responsible for monitoring the pumps in Malawi
Raising awareness for rural and remote communities on COVID-19
“Village stakeholders appreciated these activities and over time more and more people increased their knowledge about what COVID-19 is and what should be done to prevent its spread.” Ms Suharti, Director of SANTAI, Indonesia
In Indonesia, ECLT-supported project, KESEMPATAN, designed and printed posters with messaging on the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, and general WHO recommendations on how to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Along with two billboards, these posters were directed at children, farmers, and villagers to help spread the word amongst the most rural and remote communities. The project also supported the production COVID-19 handbook in Bahasa to help Village Task Forces, Regional Facilitators, and Children’s Forums to help their communities on hygiene measures to prevent coronavirus.
- • 2000+ masks and soaps distributed to rural communities in Indonesia
- • 12 villages reached with awareness raising materials
- • 24 billboards with ministry of health recommendations for covid-19 prevention
For more information about to support farmers, families and children in the fight against child labour in 2020, check out our brand-new Annual Report!