What about Children in times of Corona?
According to WHO data, the Corona virus doesn’t seem to affect children so much. However, children without family members are facing a lot of challenges too. Gouri Shankar Mishra, a 2015 kanthari graduate is the founder or An-Anya, an organisation that advocates for children’s rights and that fights against child labor. His organization has been successful freeing many children from child labor.
During the current Corona crisis, Gouri got a pass so he is allowed to travel, he is visiting boarding schools and children’s homes to get to know the situation and to understand the needs of the children.
He found that there is a lack of food in a number of homes that are run by private entities. In several such homes, only half the children are officially registered. But this now causes problems, because the authorities provide food only for those who are registered.
Due to the lockdown, neighbors who usually support, can’t do this and that leaves several children hungry.
Additionally, prices for rice, dal, potatoes and onions are rising quickly in these days.
Most of the homes run out of soap and sanitizers. And the beds of the children that would need to have a gap of at least one meter, are, due to a lack of space, standing right next to each other.
The biggest problem is that staff commutes between the children’s home and their own homes. In this way the virus can be spread as well.
“And what can we as kantharis do?” I asked Gouri on the phone. His answer: “We can advocate for these children, be their voice. We should not be afraid to look at wrong doings. Today is the time to improve the situation for now and for the future.”