Schools are closed and children are no longer allowed to meet their friends and grandparents – a situation that affects almost all countries worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For this reason, Welthungerhilfe, partner of the PATRIZIA Foundation in Kenya, together with the Berlin-based social enterprise WASH United, has developed a comic strip to help children and young people to understand COVID-19. It provides young people between the ages of 10 and 14 and with information about the coronavirus itself and other preventative hygiene measures. It has been translated into more than 20 languages, from Amharic to Pashtu and Swahili.
Comic distribution in Uganda
“We liked the comic so much that we wanted to distribute it to as many children as possible in our Kinderhaus facilities in order to make a contribution to awareness rising on site,” says Petra Ellert from the partner management of the PATRIZIA Foundation. That is why she organized the distribution of the comics in the local facilities. The first comics were recently distributed together with masks, soaps and disinfectants in Buyamba in Uganda. Although the PATRIZIA School Buyamba, like other schools around the world, is still closed, there is good contact with the families through the community parish priest and the school director.
The children in Buyamba immediately began to browse through the booklets and delve into the story told in them. The identification with the protagonists is easy because the comic tells the story of four children from different continents, who all suffer from the
fact that they are not allowed to have contact with friends and grandparents. They inform each other about the virus and explain the most important measures to prevent it from spreading – stay at home, keep their distance, wash their hands and help to protect themselves and their fellow human beings.
Financial support from the Corona relief fund
“Next, we want to have the booklets distributed in our Kinderhaus facilities in Zimbabwe and Kenya. The country offices of Welthungerhilfe are supporting us in this”, explains Petra Ellert. The costs for printing and distribution will be paid for by the “Corona Fund Education Healthcare”, which the PATRIZIA Foundation has set up to support the Kinderhaus facilities in need as a resultÂ
of the pandemic. The resources from the relief fund are intended, among other things, to support the facilities in prevention and education in the healthcare sector.
The comic strip “No Chance for Corona” is also available for free download here. It can be used, reproduced and distributed for non-commercial purposes without limitation. Any commercial use is prohibited.
