3.1 PREVENTING CHILD-FAMILY SEPARATION AND PROVIDING FAMILYBASED CARE
The consequences of Covid-19 on our activities The pandemic has had a major impact
or the internet, or their schools and
on our care programmes. Activities
communities do not have the capacity
he work of our SOS organisa-
have come to a halt, or have (partially)
to provide digital learning. We had to be
tions worldwide primarily
continued in an adapted form.
inventive and distributed school
focuses on the care and
Furthermore, additional measures and
materials and solar-powered radios so
protection of children. By
activities have been incorporated in
children could follow national curricula,
making families stronger and thus preventing
order to respond to the consequences
and extra support was also provided by
children being neglected or abandoned, and
of the pandemic.
phone. Home schooling was easier to
T
by providing family-based care for children
facilitate and follow for the children in
who (temporarily) can no longer live at home
Changes to support: food
safely or those who have lost their parental
parcels and education related
care. We listen to their needs and provide
to hygiene
Children’s Villages
them with the care they require, and which is
All the countries in which we implement
The children in our SOS families were
best suited to the specific situation of the
projects financed by the Netherlands
also affected by the pandemic. They
child(ren) and their environment.
imposed lockdowns during the year in
had to stay in the Children’s Village and
review. This impeded work on the
were not able to see their friends in the
Preventive and family-based care constitute
ground because colleagues active in
community. A lot of attention in our
a permanent aspect of our work - see box on
the communities also had to work from
activities was devoted to hygiene
page 17. Different types of support are
home. The result: most activities,
measures and the mental health of the
provided and can be combined. Contact or
including training courses and
children and SOS parents. Young
reintegration with the biological family
education for large groups, as part of
people in the Children’s Village helped
remains the goal, if the family still exists and
our programmes to strengthen families
the community by making face masks.
if it is in the best interest of the child.
including the youth employability
During the course of the year, restric-
activities, temporarily came to a halt. At
tions were partially or completely lifted,
In addition we work on:
the same time, additional measures
but this varied considerably from one
• The physical and social integration of
and activities had to be incorporated at
country to another.
children growing up in the Children’s
all locations. In the communities in
Villages and SOS families living in the
which we operate, most people live
community. To prevent children who grow
from hand to mouth. The lockdown
up in care being labelled or having to cope
therefore meant: no work, no food.
with social exclusion, we ensure they
Food aid became vital. As did education
actively participate in the life of the
about the virus and the importance of
community;
hygiene, and the provision of hygiene
• Improving community facilities, so that children can develop in good health; • Increasing cooperation with (local)
kits and face masks. This was achieved with extra funding, or by using the available funds differently.
governments and other organisations to bring about sustainable change and more
School closures
efficient working methods.
For many children in the community the closure of schools formed a huge obstacle to education. They either have limited or no access at all to electricity
16 | SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES ANNUAL REPORT 2020
our Children’s Villages.
