Forward Strong: Ensuring children remained safe, healthy and able to learn during the COVID-19 pandemic
Greetings –
I am pleased to provide a copy of Forward Strong: Ensuring children remained safe, healthy and able to learn during the COVID-19 pandemic published for release by ChildFund Alliance on 13 October 2021.
In April 2020, we launched an appeal, Forward Strong: ChildFund’s COVID-19 Response Plan, in which we committed to leveraging $56 million dollars to help reach 6.3 million children and family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a yearlong collaborative effort, ChildFund exceeded this goal, reaching more than 6.8 million participants during implementation of our pandemic-related response activities. In addition, ChildFund directed more than $100 million dollars to relief efforts, comprising both newly raised funds as well as redirected funds.
To mitigate the collateral damage of the pandemic and its potentially long-lasting impacts, ChildFund enacted bold and innovative action to stop the spread of the virus and lessen its harmful impact on children. In countries served by ChildFund, member organizations quickly adapted programming and coordinated with stakeholders and partners on the ground to respond to the critical needs of the populations we serve. Our unified response focused on four key areas:
- Mitigating the Spread of COVID-19
- Getting Food to Children and Families
- Keeping Children Safe from Violence and
- Helping Children Continue Their Learning.
Engaging young people to secure their input to the COVID-19 pandemic response was a critical element of the Alliance’s COVID-19 response efforts. We therefore expanded our response plan to seek the perspectives and solutions of young people. More details on this are included in the report under Elevating Children’s Voices.
I hope that you find this publication an informative and inspiring overview of ChildFund’s global response to the worst pandemic in more than 100 years.
Sincerely,
Meg Gardinier
Secretary General,
ChildFund Alliance
