How Child Sponsorship is affected by Covid-19

Sponsored Child, Shathi (10) from Bangladesh. Photo: Ariful Islam/ActionAid
Covid-19 has brought urgent and necessary changes to our Child Sponsorship programme. If you are a Child Sponsor, we know you will be worried about the child your sponsor. We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions below.
As Covid-19 spreads, the world’s most vulnerable people are facing an immense catastrophe. Whether it is from the illness or loss of livelihoods, ActionAid is mobilised around the world to support women and families.
This couldn’t have been done without the generosity of Child Sponsors in Ireland. Thanks to generous supporters hailing from every county in Ireland, ActionAid Ireland has directed €500,000 towards lifesaving Covid-19 responses in communities across Africa and Asia.
With your support, we will be working long-term to lessen the spread, reduce the impact of the disease and support people who have lost their livelihoods. This is only possible with the commitment of amazing people like you. Thank you.
How is ActionAid responding to the coronavirus pandemic?

People living in poverty are already faced with the harsh consequences of other humanitarian disasters.
Crowded living conditions mean families are finding it difficult to distance themselves from others. Also, many people cannot access the water, sanitation, healthcare and vital information they need to stay safe.
Through child sponsorship, we have long-standing relationships with many communities in the countries where we work. Right now, we are working around the clock to ensure families are supported.
Through local women’s groups, we are distributing life-saving health information, hygiene kits, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to key workers.
We’re also working to tackle misinformation. This means translating vital public health advice, such as regularly washing hands with soap, into local languages and getting it to the most marginalised and hardest to reach people.
Will this affect the child I sponsor?
As soon as the scale of the health crisis was apparent, ActionAid immediately stopped all mass gatherings. This included our events to collect child messages.
In many of the countries where we work, governments have closed schools and paused large gatherings.
For these reasons, we cannot yet confirm the status of individual sponsored children or their families. But as soon as it is safe to get in touch with each family, we will update you with further news.
This means we will not be able to collect the next scheduled messages from the communities as planned.
I’m sure you’ll understand that the health and well-being of sponsored children, their families and communities is our overriding priority. We ask you to please bear with us as we face this challenge.
Can I still write to the child I sponsor?
Yes, please do! Communication is now more important than ever as we face the challenges that Covid-19 brings.
We have received so many amazing messages of support.
Myla wrote this lovely message to Prencence – the child her family spsonsor.
While we cannot yet deliver these to the children directly, we do encourage you to write, as it is important to stay connected. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will share these messages with the children and their families.
If you would like to write a message, you can do it online here.
Your messages of support always mean so much to the children, their families and communities – thank you!
When will I get an update from or about the child I sponsor?
Unfortunately we do not know when we’ll be able to collect further messages from the children. And once restrictions are lifted, it may take some time to restart all aspects of sponsorship, including collecting messages.
But as soon as we are able, and it is safe to do so, we will again organise fun events for the children to participate in, including our very special child message activities.
See below for a message from children in Nepal:
How can I keep informed?
The situation is constantly evolving, and we are working with our colleagues across the world to gather the latest updates.
We will be sending updates to child sponsors via post and email as soon as we can, but if you have any further questions, please email [email protected] or phone 01 878 7911
Thank you again for your compassion at this difficult time. You are helping to #StopTheSpread and save lives.