United Nation Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says the 150 000 children who have been orphaned by COVID-19 in South Africa, must be offered protection and stability to assist them move forward with their lives.
UNICEF: COVID-19-related deaths leave nearly 150 000 children orphaned
A UNICEF study released recently pointed to the negative effects that COVID-19 has had on families around the world.
UNICEF SA’s Chief of Communications, Toby Fricker says it really brings home the impact of COVID-19 on children specifically, but also on households broadly and on society as a whole.
Fricker adds, “…It’s a massive number of children who have been affected by losing a loved one essentially. And what that means is the stress, the trauma, any child goes through they lose a parent or a primary or secondary caregiver. It’s extremely stressful, and it brings up a lot of issues that can last over many years; which is why it’s so important to provide the support, the protection, and most importantly the stability that these children need.”
#COVID19 hit children hard in Eastern & Southern #Africa. Millions were affected by school closures & hundreds of thousands lost parents. In #SouthAfrica, 150,000 #children were orphaned by COVID-19. Read about @UNICEF_SA‘s work to support vulnerable kids with protection & care https://t.co/Pi8ucu4PXQ
— Mohamed M. M. Fall (@MohamedFall) September 10, 2022
