#NotGoingBack
We cannot change the lives
of children alone!
We need YOU!
of children alone!
We need YOU!
Reimagine a better future for every child
Moving forward for every child, protection
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of children and their families as the disease spread and the movement control order (MCO) to curb it force schools and businesses to shut. COVID-19 is not just a test of health systems, it attacks the way children access education, the way their families earn an income, and how safe they feel in their homes and communities.
Meet Joon
For me, this year has taught me that every problem brings an opportunity to make things better.
On a recent trip to Sabah, I visited a secondary school and met children whose lives have been affected by the unprecedented scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of playing sports and going out with friends, they had to stay indoors and wonder about an uncertain future.
School closures have disrupted learning, and children without digital access will be left behind. Their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing have also been significantly compromised.
Kim Hyung Joon, UNICEF Malaysia
Communication for Development Specialist
Meet Joon
Kim Hyung Joon, UNICEF Malaysia
Communication for Development Specialist
For me, this year has taught me that every problem brings an opportunity to make things better.
On a recent trip to Sabah, I visited a secondary school and met children whose lives have been affected by the unprecedented scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of playing sports and going out with friends, they had to stay indoors and wonder about an uncertain future.
School closures have disrupted learning, and children without digital access will be left behind. Their mental health and psychosocial wellbeing have also been significantly compromised.
Follow Joon to Sabah!
Fifteen-year-old Henok is a tall and strapping boy, with a shy demeanour. “The impact of COVID-19 on my life has been quite bad, and many things in my life have been affected,” he said.
“But I’ve learnt that it’s very important to have mental strength and to reduce stress,” he added.
“COVID-19 has changed so many things in my life, such as my education, daily life and the way we socialise with each other,” said Jeslina, 15.
No teenager enjoys being told to wear masks and stay apart from their friends. From learning about viruses in their textbooks, they now have to live with the bleak reality of a viral pandemic in their midst. However, Jeslina chose to stay upbeat.
“COVID-19 has brought me closer to my family and taught me to communicate more with them. I have also learnt to find time for myself and for my hobbies, and to be more patient,” she said.
We must protect children like Jeslina and Henok, at all costs.
Children are at risk of becoming among the biggest victims of COVID-19, due to the direct and indirect socio-economic impact of the pandemic.
Build back better for every child
#NotGoingBack
UNICEF has responded quickly to the pandemic, even before the MCO began.
- We prioritised communication and engagement with children and young people through the #KitaConnect Telegram channel, where young people could obtain important information, stay connected, receive support and inspire action.
- UNICEF worked with government and NGO partners to train teachers in online learning, so that there would be minimal disruption to children’s learning. We also worked with partners to develop parenting tips for parents and social workers, as well as to provide mental health support digitally for children with disabilities and their families.
- In partnership with Mercy Malaysia, UNICEF provided more than 200,000 hygiene kits to the most vulnerable children and their families in Malaysia.
- To support more effective policy-making on the response to COVID-19, UNICEF conducted a study called ‘Families on the Edge’, to unpack the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 among low-income families.
Joon teaching school children in Sabah proper handwashing steps
UNICEF is leading the charge to Respond, Recover and Reimagine a world fit for every child. Together, we can prevent COVID-19 from being a lasting crisis for children.
With your generous contribution, we work for children, we work with children, and we will never give up.
– Joon Kim
We are ready to save more lives
One of the things we want to do is to ensure that children in the most remote areas will get the COVID-19 vaccine, when it becomes available. UNICEF is leading global efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines, as part of the plan with the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, in partnership with Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunisation and the World Health Organization.
Although COVID-19 infections do not seem to be severe among children compared to adults, we are worried about the pandemic’s indirect effects on child health, due to strained health systems, increased stress and anxiety due to school closures and uncertainty over their future, as well as disruptions to healthcare interventions like vaccination.
Help us help more children
If we don’t act urgently, more than 4 children under the age of five will die every minute, due to the direct impact of COVID-19
We thank you for your continued support to UNICEF. Please continue to support our work with your donation.
Here’s the impact of COVID-19 on the world’s children.
The impact on some children could be long lasting.
The impact on some children could be long lasting.
Globally, 72 per cent of school children unable to access remote learning live in their countries’ poorest households.
More than 1.6 billion children and youth worldwide have been affected by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study done during the MCO involving almost 1 million children in Malaysia found that about one-third do not own any digital devices and are unable to study remotely.
An additional 1.2 million children could die in six months, due to disruption in basic health interventions.
#NotGoingBack
Reaching more children,
together
together
In 2019, UNICEF achieved significant results for millions of children in Malaysia and around the world. We are happy to share these results with you in this Annual Review, as we could not have done it without your support. But we are determined to do more, and we hope you will be with us every step of the way. Thank you for your continuous support.
Read the 2019 Annual Review
