Compassion Canada and our global partners are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in a unified and strategic way. Our church church partners in the field are being empowered to meet the urgent needs of families with children or youth registered in our program.
Here’s a short video from our President and CEO, Allison Alley, and our Senior Vice President of Global Program, Sidney Muisyo, about our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
All 25 countries where we currently work are striving to slow the spread of COVID-19 through restrictions on public gatherings or quarantines. As a result, many child development centres are temporarily closed to group activities, and our partner church staff members are heroically finding ways to safely address the welfare of children and their families.
Because of restraints on gatherings, we have decided that during the COVID-19 pandemic, funds previously used at the child development centres are being directed to the urgent needs of children and their families for necessities like food, clean water, shelter, clothing, household items, and even medical care and trauma counselling.
In some cases, where visits are permitted and staff can do so without putting themselves or others in harm’s way, local church staff members are visiting homes to check on the welfare of children and their families. When and where they cannot make personal home visits, they are using cell phones, texting and messaging apps to conduct regular welfare checkups.
To learn more about how Compassion staff are responding to COVID in the field, read our blog series: Part 1 | Part 2
We are so grateful for the trust our generous supporters have placed in Compassion to minister to their sponsored children through the care of a local church.
How can you help?
A pandemic like COVID-19 plus the challenges of poverty equals disaster. Health systems can get dangerously overwhelmed in the low-resource settings where we work. Our church partners around the world are heroically delivering essential care to children and their communities in the midst of this global crisis. You can help provide food, water, sanitation, medical and other support by giving toward Compassion Canada’s Disaster Relief Fund.
