‘Ministers with Children’ campaign brings children’s voices in the forefront of COVID-19 discussion

KATHMANDU

As a part of the campaign, Save the Children and Community Information Network’s (CIN) ‘Ministers with Children’; Minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizen, Parbat Gurung interacted with children in an hour-long live radio broadcast from the Community Information Network (CIN) on Tuesday.

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According to a press statement released by Save the Children, the campaign is designed to elevate the voices of children in COVID-19 discussions, with the aim to make elected representatives and policy-makers more accountable towards the need and challenges of children in Nepal. 

It added that the Minister  interacted and answered questions posed by children on COVID-19 and its effect in their lives. Minister Gurung assured that the development of child-friendly spaces is one of the priorities of the government, and sincere efforts are being made to ensure that mental health and well-being of children living in quarantine centers is not compromised. 

Children participated in the campaign through phone calls, social media, and through the Interactive Voice Receiver (IVR) – where children recorded their concerns and questions for the Federal and State Governments. 

Speaking about the campaign, Bandana Risal, the Interim Country Director of Save the Children in Nepal expressed that the  ‘Ministers with Children” national campaign resonates to Protect a Generation, Save the Children’s global response strategy to prevent, mitigate, and respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

The press statement quoted Bandana Risal, the Interim Country Director of Save the Children in Nepal saying, “Through this campaign, we would like to call upon policymakers, elected representatives, child-rights organizations to work towards, mitigating the impact of the pandemic on child survival, helping children learn, stay safe, and return to school, supporting family survival and food security through safety nets, and keeping children, families, and communities safe.