Experts are calling it the Hidden Pandemic. UNICEF says it’s “the worst crisis for children UNICEF has seen in its 75-year history.”
Due to COVID-19, an estimated 5,328,500 children have lost a primary or secondary caregiver from their home, according to this orphanhood calculator in partnership with this article published in The Lancet.
That’s over 5 million children orphaned because of COVID-19 related deaths.
In fact, just as many children have become orphaned as people have died.
Can we just… pause here? Why is no one is talking about this?
Emotional, social, and financial stressors on families also persist. According to the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development-Early Childhood (or RAPID-EC), “Both caregiver and child mental health is suffering in families with a child with special needs, with no signs of improving as the pandemic continues.”
The study also finds that compared to other children, those with special needs go to “fewer wellness visits and [receive] fewer vaccinations,” and that their caregivers “have fewer social supports than other caregivers.”
Supporting vulnerable children and vulnerable families is more important now than ever.
Hope Station is prepared to serve children who are orphaned or at risk of orphanhood in 2022. The challenge seems great. But HOPE is not lost.
One parent in our Family Strengthening Program said to us this year, “I never thought that there would be anyone except me who cared and supported us before.”
Another mama wrote to her family sponsor, “Thank you so much for letting me know that besides me and my husband, there are others who care about my daughter.”
With your help, 15 more children with special needs in China can grow up in a loving and supported family. And up to 75 children in local orphanages can get access to support services.
To make this happen, we need to raise $55,000 by December 31st. And we are already 1/3 of the way there!
Will you help us get the rest of the way by making a donation of just $25 today?
Together, we can give children with special needs and their families the hope they desperately need right now. Join us in responding to this hidden pandemic!
