Save the Children fights for a world in which every child – regardless of race, gender, orientation or socioeconomic background – attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.
Systemic change to end racism is critical to achieve this vision
May 1, 2020
Dear Friends,
We hope that you are well and safe as we continue to socially distance during the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Long Island Council’s immediate mission is to keep you, our loyal friends and supporters, updated with what Save the Children is currently doing nationally and globally.
As Nicholas Kristof pointed out in his Opinion Column in the New York Times on April 25, “Even in the best of times, the United States has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the developed world, and now many of those children are at home missing both school lunches and an education. Twelve million children don't have internet at home, so how are they supposed to engage in remote learning?
Save the Children is best known for helping children in Africa and Asia, but it also works in low-income American communities and it is now stepping into the breach. In these areas in the United States, Save the Children is providing both meals and books all for less than $15,000 per school district.”
Please take the time to read about all that Save the Children is doing to combat the biggest global health crisis in our lifetime.
1. FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN THE U.S. – FIGHTING HUNGER AND SUPPORTING LEARNING
With our strong presence in over two hundred of America’s least-served communities and our history of domestic emergency response, Save the Children has the expertise and capacity to move quickly to support kids and families in greatest need. We are:
- Providing nutritious meals for children at food banks, churches and schools, and working to
- Provide food deliveries to rural homes where needed.
- Providing families with books and educational resources, including play-based learning materials
- for younger kids.
- Adapting our Early Steps to School Success program to hold “home visits” over the phone to
- Maintain continuity and help caregivers deal with the sense of isolation.
- And we will leverage our SummerBoost and after-school programs to help kids catch up once it’ssafe to be back in school.
2. FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES GLOBALLY – LIMITING SPREAD AND SUPPORTING HEALTH & HYGIENE Based on our global experience of responding to pandemics, which we have done for many years, we know that COVID-19 poses multiple risks to children. Save the Children is doing everything in our power to protect and support children and their families everywhere we work. Our aim now is to extend the reach and strengthen the impact of our programs in the poorest and most at-risk countries, focusing on four areas:
- Preventing and managing the spread of the pandemic.
- Helping children learn, stay safe, and return to school.
- Supporting family survival and food security through safety nets.
- Keeping children, families and communities safe.
Stay well,
Lori Homer President
stclipres@gmail.com