Cork charity founder: Covid left millions of Indian children vulnerable

THE Covid-19 pandemic priorities focused on prevention, detection, and response.

Beyond morbidity and mortality, pandemics carry secondary impacts, such as children orphaned or bereft of their care-givers. These children often face adverse consequences, including poverty and abuse.

Globally, from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, an estimated 1,134,000 children experienced the death of primary care-givers, including at least one parent or custodial grandparent.

Children losing primary care-givers have higher risks of experiencing mental health problems - physical and emotional - plus sexual violence and family poverty.

By October 31, 2021, five million Covid-19 deaths had occurred, and 5.2 million children had lost their mothers, their fathers, and/or their grandparent care-givers responsible for their needs and nurture, according to the World Health Organisation.

It is now estimated 10.5 million children lost a parent/grandparent who were caring for them, leaving them orphaned and at a huge risk of poverty/abuse

India was one of the most burdened countries where children lost their primary or secondary caregiver.

Most countries were ill-prepared to deal with something like this, due to poverty primarily, they are now scrambling to cope with these massively increased numbers.

India was really badly hit by the Covid deaths of parents and grandparents who were the main carers of children.

As usual, the poverty levels of people played a huge role; their resistance is poor and most hold down daily jobs which were unavailable during lockdown.

People working and living in slums and streets were told go back to their villages, so a huge exodus of people out of cities began, with many never making it home. It left children and young teens vulnerable, the number of abused children increased, and drop-outs from schools increased as many couldn’t do classes online and all were frantic trying to just survive.

With other groups, our Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation in India took on the role of helping poverty-stricken slum-dwellers to survive and had 3,000 people under its wings.

For months, we provided rations and hygiene kits to families. But the stories in our homes seemed to become more violent, admissions crept up, and we had some truly horrendous rescues of children.

Our staff worked right through Covid and thousands survived due to their amazing work.

The lockdowns were lifted and people returned to their daily jobs. However, the cost of living has increased enormously in India and people find it impossible to live.

The difference in India compared with western countries is that there is no social welfare and so children who got sucked into jobs such as drug running/sex work/servants during Covid, found it hard to return to school, and life as normal for them just ceased.

Positive developments

The Foundation works very closely with the Government, who support our work in part financially. Our staff are working around the clock trying to get our drop-out children back into the educational system.

In the meantime, our boys’ home in Darjeeling was expanded thanks to a wonderful donor, our project outside got a new Jeep through a family, we now have the capacity of housing 100 children full time in our two homes. We do coaching sessions in the afternoons for nearly 100 school-going children, they are first generation being educated and they need the support with homework.

All children in the coaching centre receive a hot, nutritious meal after school and we run a daily pre-vocational training centre for older children.

However, it is proving hard to raise funds now as a huge amount is deservedly going to Ukraine and home groups.

Besides food education, we work with other groups and the Indian Government to try to improve our children’s lives, through change to the legal system, etc.

Thirty years ago, when we started this work in Calcutta, anyone could walk off with a child, but through awareness programmes and training of police, etc, that is gone.

Over the years, as I listen, hug and talk to our little ones about the total violation of their human rights, I look at my own children my nieces nephews and think, ‘Oh my God, how does anyone do this?’

I get a sickness in the pit of my stomach when I hear how these little ones feel when they are being raped, gang raped or beaten up because they have no voice. How afraid they must be, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.

We have come a long way with our work in our Cork-based foundation and we will continue to work with our beautiful children, BUT we need help badly for funding just to feed, educate and provide a safe haven for our little ones.

If you think you can help by having a coffee morning in your office/home, a no uniform day or any other fund-raiser, please contact us.

You can donate online through the below or directly to AIB bank 93-43-48 21439006, our website is www.edithwilkinsfoundation.org, or email edithwilkins54@gmail.com or find us on facebook/Instagram.