The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the education of children around the world. Schools have been forced to close for long periods of time to prevent the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, in many regions, it has been challenging to get children back into school safely. Part of our global coronavirus response has been to equip schools and students with the resources they need.
Pre-pandemic, almost half of children aged six to 14 in Chad were out of school. And even more were put at risk of missing out on an education when schools faced difficulties during the pandemic.
‘After the breakout of Covid-19, we were very anxious about how we could get the preventative kits for our pupils and students during the reopening of classes,’ explains Mbairam Djetolda, head teacher of a school in Moundou, the second largest city in Chad. ‘We felt hopeless and without strength regarding the safety of all our pupils.’
A timely provision
One of our local partner organisations in Chad has been focusing on supporting schools as part of their emergency coronavirus response. They were able to provide Mbairam’s school with enough masks, soap and handwashing sets for all of their students. This allowed the school to quickly open up again once restrictions were lifted, and helped to keep the students and staff safe.
‘God has done wonderful things; we got that support at the right time, when we needed it the most,’ says Mbairam. ‘We are full of joy as we receive these [hygiene] kits. There are no words that could express the joy we feel in our hearts as we receive these gifts.’
A generous back-to-school gift
Meanwhile, in Nepal, many families had been unable to afford to buy their children school uniforms or stationery supplies long before the pandemic. Having to buy extra supplies such as masks was impossible.
When our local church partner in Nepal learned about this, they decided to raise money for the school pupils in their community. With the money they raised together, they were able to provide uniforms, school bags, stationery and hygiene supplies for 40 students at a local school.
