The closure of 1.5 million schools due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdowns have impacted 247 million* children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in India. The pandemic has kept children out of school for the last 22 months thus creating hurdles in their aspirations to complete their school education.
When out of school, children are highly susceptible to economic exploitation, sexual abuse, physical violence, trafficking, and early marriage. Not only will this have severe implications on children when schools reopen but will also lead to the inability to cope with their studies thus increasing cases of child labour. Primary data collected by our on-ground team from a sample of households in CRY’s operational areas in 18 states shows that last year alone there has been an appalling 82% increase in child labour already.
We at CRY are working tirelessly to protect children and help them be ready to go back to school once they reopen. Our main focus areas would be:
Addressing the learning gap with bridge schools: The long academic gap has resulted in children losing touch with their school subjects and the habit of structured learning. To ensure the number of school dropouts do not increase, we’re focusing on:
Providing psychosocial support to children: Given the loss of livelihoods and the restricted movements during the lockdown, children are at high risk of facing issues of stress, violence, abuse, and neglect. To safeguard children’s mental health and to ensure their confidence and thinking abilities continue to grow, we’re focusing on:
This is the time to intervene and help children get back to a structured setting so they can continue their education and explore their true potential. But we cannot do this alone. Your contribution can give children a brighter future, donate now.
*Source – UNICEF