With the commitment to ensure the comprehensive well-being of children, World Vision Nicaragua and the Nidia White Women’s Movement have joined forces to combat two major threats on the country’s Caribbean Coast: COVID-19 and violence against children, adolescence and women.
“Our commitment is to ensure that children and adolescents are well and protected, therefore, under our COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan, we donate 2,000 hygiene kits to ensure hand washing in childhood and adolescence and we started a communication campaign consisting of a series of bulletins, posters and stickers with messages in Miskito about ways of prevention,” says Patricia Obregón, Director of the Violence Prevention Project in the Caribbean Coast of World Vision Nicaragua.
The hygiene kits have two soaps, a hand towel, and a pack of disposable towels. All these kits, in addition to the communication campaign materials, are being distributed in Siuna and Bilwi. House leaders and beneficiaries of the Siuna project have already been handed over, in addition to the maternal home, the MINSA hospital, to the Bilwi shelter and churches.
Permanent pandemic: gender violence against children, adolescents and women
To prevent the spread and spread of COVID-19, people on the Caribbean coast of the country are taking preventive measures, mainly choosing to stay at home. For girls, boys, adolescents and women this increases the risk of suffering some form of violence.
“It is not easy for a girl, boy or woman to be locked up with their abuser, it is important to take action against COVID-19, but, remember, the greatest cases of abuse occur by family members or close people. The coronavirus may be a priority, but in an area with a high rate of violence, the main priority is to ensure the well-being of children and women, that is why we are reinforcing the issue of violence prevention and access to the route of justice,” says Shira Miguel Downs, director of the Nidia White Women’s Movement.
Preventive measures against COVID-19 have been taken at the facilities of the Nidia White Women’s Movement to maintain operations and assistance to users. A face-to-face service schedule will be defined, online attention through its Facebook page Nidia White Women’s Movement and permanent attention to the girls, boys and women who are in the La Esperanza Shelter, unique in attending to victims of gender violence in the zone.
“The coronavirus will not stop violence, we are in a region where the levels of violence are the highest at the national level, where the costs of living increases in times of crisis or emergency and where fear and social stress erupts in various forms of violence against children and women. With community leaders we are addressing ways to prevent the virus, but also, calling for reporting any form of violence inside or outside the home, “says Miguel Downs.
World Vision Nicaragua has started an online fundraising campaign to bring hygiene kits to girls, boys and adolescents in the most vulnerable communities. Make your donation and let’s contribute together to the children’s health in the country.