Covid in Myanmar
The pandemic has brought many challenges across our world, and the situation has been no different here. To date, there are just 263 reported cases in Myanmar. The government has taken the virus very seriously, and stringent measures were brought in early. While this has been very effective in slowing the spread of the virus, it has also caused many individuals and businesses to struggle financially.
At the end of March, international commercial passenger flights to Myanmar were suspended, and on the date of this article, this remains the case. The tourism industry has taken a huge hit. While this has caused less tourists to visit orphanages, expats and local donors have still been visiting homes to donate, with a desire to help during these difficult times. It is great to see the support that people are wanting to give, but we urge people to be careful about where they donate, as donations to orphanages can be very harmful. Well-researched donations given with intentionality can be hugely more beneficial!
Over the last couple of weeks, Myanmar has started to come alive again. Restaurants and stores have opened, and the streets are busy. People remain vigilant, and hygiene measures around the city remain in place. People realise that by taking care of themselves, they can help protect their families and communities from harm.
The Global Effect of Covid on Children in Care
Across the world, social work organisations have faced new challenges and quickly changing policies. In order to prevent social workers from spreading Covid, in many cases social care visits have been restricted. Different support systems have popped up around the world to help protect children in care systems during this season.
For more information on how Covid is effecting children in care, read here.
How Covid Has Effected Our Team and the Children We Monitor
When lockdown was announced in Myanmar, Kinnected quickly sprang into action. We made sure that the orphanages we work with were well equipped with hygiene supplies and food. As it was no longer possible to travel to the office, our social workers set up work spaces at home. Regular meetings over Zoom were arranged so that the team could stay in touch, and lines of communication between our social workers and children’s homes, and families remained opened.
Over the summer holidays, twenty-three of the children in homes we work with were able to travel back to their families, where they currently remain. While a few of these children’s trips home were organised by Kinnected, many of these visits were arranged directly between the families and orphanage directors, which is a huge encouragement! Usually when children go home for family visits there are a number who don’t return to the children’s home, as their families realise that the children are happier with them. We wait to see what will happen when local schools open, but this remains our hope for the children who have travelled home this year.
Our social workers have now returned to work at the office, but that does not mean everything is back to normal. The team now works metres apart from each other, and only travel to the office three days a week to minimise contact. The strictest hygiene measures are held at the office, and our team are not able to regularly visit the children we usually monitor closely in person.
‘The new normal’ will take some getting used to, and we are still learning how to best navigate these circumstances. What hasn’t changed though is our desire to see children in safe and loving families.
Covid resources:
Better Care Network: Technical Note on the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Children and Alternative Care
Faith to Action: Changing the Way We Care: Gatekeeping considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
SFAC: Assessing Emergency Placements During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A Family For Every Orphan: Covid 19 information centre