Canada’s international cooperation sector, like others, is part of the frontline response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily operations are changing. Events have been cancelled. Schools, businesses and government buildings are closed unless essential. Physical distancing is a part of our functioning and the main tool to help control the spread of the virus. And as we all adapt to this new reality, Canada’s international development and humanitarian sector is innovating to support local communities in Canada and abroad, to hold fast hard won sustainable development gains and help Canada and the world emerge stronger, more connected and resilient than ever.   

At the Canadian Council for International Co-operation, we are committed to sharing stories of solidarity and innovation as Canada’s international development and humanitarian sector responds to the crisis. The first in this series, we are excited to share four ways our member Save the Children is supporting the most vulnerable communities here at home and communities abroad. 

1. An action agenda to protect hard won gains for children 

The organization’s 5 point Agenda for Action to Protect a Generation from COVID-19 seeks to encourage Canada to come together with the international community at-large in global solidarity to deliver the following actions to protect a generation of children’s rights: 

• Disease containment and mitigation 
• Global financing 
• Support for family finances 
• Education and learning 
• Children’s safety and protection 

2. Adapting to new realities

In response to COVID-19, the organization has quickly developed a COVID-19 Program Adaptation Framework and Guidance tool, in order to provide a steer guidance for its 120 Country Offices to  identify appropriate adaptations based on context and phasing of the crisis ((Preparedness, Initial Response, Large-scale response, Recovery), recognizing that communities and programs will move through different phases at different times and through different waves of an outbreak throughout an entire 12 – 18 month (or more) period. .  The guide can also be used by other CSOs or national responders.  This effort is meant to guide Save the Children Country Offices to help to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and to the extent possible, preserve children’s rights to survive, learn and be protected.  

3. Helping to keep children’s education on track

In an effort to fight COVID-19, schools across Canada have closed to control the spread of the virus. Valuable instruction and learning time for children is being lost as a result. Save the Children’s commitment to helping children and families in uncertain times is no different in the context of this pandemic. The organization has developed highly accessible and innovative resources to support and keep children’s health, mental well being and learning on track during this time, and beyond. Resources include a how-to talk to children about coronavirus, suggestions for relaxation and family learning activities, tips on incorporating reading, math and numeracy skills in daily routines, and even tips for grandparents staying connected to grandchildren during separation. 

4. Educating diverse stakeholders on COVID-19

In collaboration with Humanitarian Leadership Academy, Save the Children has also set up a COVID-19 learning pathway, on Kaya, a global learning platform. This resource focuses on capacity strengthening of its audience through up to date tools, resources, training and educational videos that enable quick, informed and efficient responses to COVID-19 for the international development and humanitarian sectors, and beyond. The pathway contains e-learning programmes for support to humanitarian responses, soft skills and remote working capacity strengthening, a library of downloadable resources related to work and operations in the context of a pandemic, and key sector guidelines and policies, to name a few. Resources, courses and videos cover a range of critical topics such as public health, child protection, education, gender, leadership and management, wellbeing and resilience. The user-friendly platform, accessible on mobile, computer and in a variety of languages, is tailored for just about anyone seeking to improve their skills and knowledge to better prepare and respond to crises overall, not just COVID-19. Since its launch in mid-March, the platform has been accessed by over 3000 people from partners all over Canada. 

Like other members of our sector, Save the Children is showing its commitment to innovate and support families and children during times of uncertainty – whether it be in the field or through online learning opportunities such as COVID-19 learning pathway.  Confined to our homes, Save the Children is harnessing e-learning to make the most of this difficult time through platforms accessible to all.  

This is the kind of leadership and innovation that Canadians have come to expect from Canada’s international cooperation community. In the coming weeks, CCIC will showcase the stories of solidarity, resilience and innovation from our sector. We may be physically distant, but our members are more connected than ever in their efforts to combat the impacts of our shared global challenge with strength, humility and grace.  

*By Arianna Abdelnaiem, Research Assistant at the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC). 

* This blog is the first in a new series by CCIC that showcases leadership and innovation in Canada’s international development and humanitarian sector to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For International Development Week 2020, we are showcasing the impact that our member organizations are having around the world. This blog post from Will Postma, Executive Director, PWRDF is the first in a special series. Make sure to read it and share it with your network!

Virginie Nizigama is one of many exceptional local women who volunteers at the Village Health Works clinic in Kigutu, Burundi. It’s hard to miss her when you tour the clinic. There she is explaining new varieties of maize, onion and beans and how they can best grow with organic fertilizers. “No outside fertilizer needed!” There’s Virginie again, with other women, milking the cows, tending to the pigs and the chickens and collecting the eggs (there were 32 on the day we visited with her) to give to the patients. As for the milk, that’s also for the patients who need it. And there’s Virginie, telling women and men how to diversify their diets, grow the best varieties of vegetables so they won’t need to come to the clinics as often, and keep their children healthy for school. “We can’t eat manioc all the time,” she patiently explains to the others. It grows easily and quickly on the hills around Kigutu but so can many other plants that are much more nutritious. 

Village Health Works is one of four Maternal, Newborn and Child Health partners in PWRDF’s All Mothers and Children Count (AMCC) program, made possible with the support of Global Affairs Canada and Canadians across the country. Clean water, safe births, increased income, trained community health workers, greater awareness of reproductive rights and accessible neo-natal programming are just a few of the results that the AMCC program has made possible in Burundi, as well as in Rwanda, Tanzania and Mozambique.  

Across VHW’s program we see the nit and grit of women’s empowerment, addressing on Sustainable Development Goals #3 (health and well-being) and #5 (gender equality). Women meet together to talk about the design of expectant mothers’ homes. “Keep the sinks higher so we don’t need to bend down too much,” they advise. “Space the beds in the houses just so; the windows should be here; let’s build the expectant mothers’ homes closer to the maternity ward itself.” Here mothers can stay during the days before they give birth, get the care they need and not have to walk long distances over the many hills to deliver their child in a safe, clean environment. 

I continue to hear the encouraging words of Virginie to all around her. “I want to give back, I love being able to share whatever I know. It’s my passion, my hope for all of us to be healthy and educated and to help others,” she says. Then she turns to get back to the business at hand. “Now, let me show you how you can plant and grow bananas…” 

CCIC is happy to welcome Hope and Healing International (formerly cbm Canada) as its newest member!

Hope and Healing International has over 110 years of experience developing proven community-based programs that help millions of people break out of the poverty-disability cycle, allowing them to benefit from real, lasting change.

Hope and Healing International works with doctors, teachers, health workers, community advocates together with partners in 16 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They engage Canadians passionate about giving hope and medical care to children and families trapped in the poverty-disability cycle.

The organization works on:

• Prevention and Medical treatment
• Rehabilitation
• Creating Equal Opportunities

To learn more about the organization and the work that they do, please visit their site.