LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Kolkata, July 18: Award-winning actress, writer and Brand Ambassador for Child Protection for Save the Children, India, Nandana Sen visited the homes of children orphaned as a result of Covid that she has been supporting along with the child rights organisation in South 24 Parganas district of Sunderbans.
In a bid to ensure the safety and welfare of the most vulnerable children whose lives were torn apart by the deadly combination of Covid-19 and Cyclone Yaas, Sen mobilized resources for over 200 children across 25 gram panchayats of the Sundarbans area under the ‘For a Safe Tomorrow’ campaign run by Save the Children in 2021.
She is currently supporting a project that directly benefits immediate caregivers to meet the medical, nutritional, educational and protection needs of these children. Each child is receiving Rs.3000 per month to meet the basic needs of education, health needs, nutrition and other emergency needs. This support is assumed to bring back children to the mainstream education and health scenario.
Sen also visited the two Multi-Activity Centers (MAC) operational in Mandir Bazar and Banashyam Nagar island of Pathar Pratima block. These centres are helping bring back orphaned and abandoned and at-risk children within the purview of education while supporting them with crucial psycho-social care.
Sundarbans being a hotspot for climate change, experiences cyclones, storms and incessant rains causing floods. These children are victims of multifarious vulnerabilities, with some of them have either lost their parents due to Covid-19 or have lost the breadwinner of the family for the same reason. Some of these children also faced the double impact of Cyclonic Yaas, while others lost their parents to snakebites, crocodile bites, capsizing of boats and honey collection. Few children are terminally ill and suffering from cancer and thalassemia.
These children are under the care of the child protection regulators in the communities they live in and spend six to seven hours a week in MAC centres which helps them socialize and come out of the fear and anxiety they have been living in.
On the occasion, Nandana Sen said, “These children who have lost one or both parents and essentially their lifelines, have gone through a traumatic experience and stand exposed to protection issues like trafficking, child labour and child marriage. This crisis has hit them hard. Together with Save the Children, we want to ensure that these children are protected and are in a position of security until brought under the state child protection scheme.”
Sudarshan Suchi, CEO, Save the Children added, “The loss that these children have suffered during COVID has made them extremely vulnerable. In addition to financial and educational support, Save the Children is ensuring trained workers and cadres provide counselling and psychosocial support for children to overcome the trauma associated with the loss of a parent or caregiver. Children who need in-depth psychosocial assistance are being carefully guided to professional mental health counsellors.”
The support given to each child on a monthly basis was allocated following a rigorous screening process to ensure that the funds are utilised to help the children in most need. The support project is being implemented, monitored and reviewed by Save the Children until the vulnerability of each child is addressed comprehensively.
In 2020, cyclone Amphan followed by cyclone Yaas in 2021 made the area extremely vulnerable. To top it off, Covid-19 made the situation worse. Climate change is expected to continue to affect both natural systems and human populations in the region, resulting in further ecosystem degradation and climate migration.
