THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON OUR NEXT GENERATION

BY SARAH SCOTT WEBB, FOR FREEDOM MINISTRY POINT PERSON

Zuri is 12. Before the pandemic, she was in grade 6 at her local school. Her father worked as a labourer on a building site and her mother as a cleaner. Now she says, “My family and I are on the streets because we don’t have money for rent, and my parents don’t have money to feed me and my siblings. I am hungry all the time ... I wish I could go back to school.”

Maria, 17, has been in lockdown in her family’s apartment since the pandemic began. “My mother has changed ... she has really bad anxiety caused by her, my father and my brothers all losing their jobs ... she cries a lot and it scares me. My parents are fighting all the time. I want to go back to school and for my father to go back to work.” Like millions of children, Zuri and Maria’s lives have been overturned by the pandemic. Children are the biggest victims of COVID’s socio-economic impacts.

The giants of family violence, abuse, job losses, mental health issues, food insecurity and pornography consumption are social challenges that have surged since the pandemic began. Children and young people are most impacted by these “giants”. Children are experiencing higher rates of violence and abuse at home, and increasing numbers are forced into early marriage or child labour. Greater unsupervised time online creates vulnerability, not only to viewing pornography, but also to being groomed by online predators.

For Freedom’s concern is that if these giants are left unchecked, millions more vulnerable men, women and children, like Zuri and Maria, will be at risk of abuse, trafficking and exploitation.

Perhaps the biggest impact has occurred in education. Save the Children estimates that the education of 90 per cent of the world’s children has been interrupted due to the pandemic.

Families without income cannot afford computers or internet to study at home, and many students are unable to access learning materials. Schools are also where children socialise, develop emotionally and even access lunch and sanitary products otherwise not available.

Educational disruptions greatly affect mental wellbeing — 84 per cent of young people interviewed say they have experienced increased negative feelings as a result of school closures.

SIM’s ministry leaders for children, youth, university, For Freedom and Sports Friends all report much higher rates of anxiety and depression among students, exacerbated by the loneliness, isolation and helplessness they feel. Suicide rates among young people have also risen during the pandemic.

The opportunities But amid the challenges come unexpected opportunities. Moving meetings online has increased attendances for virtual youth events. Our SIM youth teams have discovered young people find it less intimidating to explore faith questions in online environments.

COVID has necessitated creativity in the ways our workers connect with young people. Examples include intentionally contacting youth through social media, calling them with an encouraging word, or sending personal written prayers via text or WhatsApp. Interactive, online youth group meetings have prompted creative activities, such as one study in which each young person had to grow a plant at home to remind them of how we grow spiritually.

One positive outcome of this pandemic is that it is now easier to share knowledge and resources.

Previously, a SIM youth leader could only meet or do leadership training with one church at a time. Now she meets with several churches in different countries in the same meeting!

Undoubtedly, COVID’s continuing challenges are huge, but so are the opportunities. During lockdown, a Sports Friends coach in Kenya stopped meeting with the 50 boys he coached weekly. He was sad, but decided to encourage them and their parents via social media and phone. When the lockdown lifted, not only did the boys return,

they brought their friends — 120 kids turned up to practice! Since then, 24 boys have accepted Jesus as their Saviour.

We might wellfeel like David before Goliath, armed only with a few stones and a slingshot. But it is important to remember the Lord was with David, and David won. With our Lord’s help, we too can take up our stones of encouragement, creativity, and courage, and use them to bring healing and hope to the communities we serve.

PLEASE PRAY:

- For children across the world facing the brunt of socio-economic fallout of the pandemic.

- For SIM workers in ministries to children, youth, university students to creatively harness new opportunities.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

- Listen to For Freedom’s Global Learning Café, “How to build community resilience”, available on PORT. Learn practical steps for helping communities cope with COVID challenges.

- Download Trauma Healing’s COVID response resources to help children and teenagers navigate mental health issues: www.sim.org/-/trauma-healing.

- Ask your personnel manager to enrol you in For Freedom’s online, two-hour Prevention course. Learn a framework teams can use to strengthen communities struggling with giants.

Sarah Scott-Webb

Sarah Scott-Webb is SIM’s For Freedom Ministry Point Person, a role she shares with Karine Woldhuis. They serve our teams around the world by equipping them to prevent and confront exploitation and restore and transform survivors through Christ. Sarah holds a master’s in international relations (with a focus on genocide and human trafficking) and has 16 years of experience in the anti-trafficking sphere.

Email Sarah at intl.forfreedom@sim.org.

[1] Save the Children, The Hidden Impact of Covid-19 on Child Poverty [2] Save the Children, The Hidden Impact of Covid-19 on Education