Women's Federations, Women Volunteers Help Protect Children's Safety amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Amid the fight against novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, women's federations and women volunteers across the country have taken action to provide support for children in need, striving to protect them from the virus.

Women's Federations Care for Medical Workers' Children

To allow frontline medical staff to concentrate on their work of fighting against the COVID-19, women's federations across the country launched actions to care for medical workers' children, such as delivering daily necessities and offering online courses, to help medical workers relieve their anxiety.

The Shanghai Women's Federation cooperated with the Shanghai Children's Foundation and the Shanghai Women Entrepreneurs Association to raise 60,000 child masks and 2,000 nasal pollen blockers. The supplies have been allocated to the children of medical workers and disadvantaged children in Wuhan City of Central China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, through the women's federations at all levels in Wuhan.

"My dad and mom are treating patients. They cannot accompany me during the Spring Festival holiday. Don't worry, mom. I'm fine. Many people take care of me. Come on, Mom! Come on, Wuhan!" said Gan Ziyun, a student in the fourth grade in a primary school.

The Women's Federation of Dalian City, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, has established WeChat groups for children aged 2-8 from frontline medical workers' families. Staff workers of the city's women's federation read picture books, tell stories, and play games with children through the WeChat groups.

The university student volunteers in Jinzhong City, North China's Shanxi Province, helped children of frontline medical workers with their homework, developed their hobbies, and gave them psychological counseling online during the winter vacation. The first group of 36 volunteers has paired with 18 children.

Women's Federations Help Publicize Info on COVID-19 Epidemic and Provide Online Medical Consultations

The All-China Women's Federation cooperated with people.cn and People's Daily app to offer family education guidance to parents amid the fight against COVID-19 epidemic. Children can read audio picture books and learn epidemic prevention information with their parents through games and online learning. 

Women's federations in Chongqing Municipality and Hubei, Anhui and Gansu provinces have taken measures to help disadvantaged children and children of frontline medical workers and patients infected with COVID-19 learn about the epidemic and ease their negative emotions. The federations have opened psychological-assistance hotlines, made TV programs, and recruited volunteers to offer online psychological assistance. 

Women volunteers recruited by the Women's Federation of Mengzhou City in Central China's Henan Province mobilized a number of local preschool education institutions to give free classes online, to help parents with their children's study. More than 1,200 parents have applied for the service.

The Women's Federation of Hainan Province has provided family education courses via WeChat, introducing epidemic prevention and control information, recommending books for parents and children, and offering family education guidance.

The Beijing Women's Federation established the first women volunteers' team of pediatricians and the Beijing Children's Hospital East Branch started free online medical consultation services, to ease hospital pressure and help parents relieve their anxiety. More than 100 pediatricians are offering free services online. 

Volunteers Serve as 'Temporary Moms'

With the assistance of the Women's Federation of Wangcheng District, in Changsha, capital city of Central China's Hunan Province, Liu Jianhua, a 46-year-old woman volunteer, took the initiative to look after a 3 year-old child whose parents were isolated for COVID-19 infection. 

The women volunteers in Jiangbei District, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, attended to 138 disadvantaged children through home visits and phone and video calls.

Online Parent-Child Activities Ensure Safe Winter Vacation

The Women's Federation of Shuangliu District, in Chengdu, capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, organized online activities for parents and children amid the epidemic outbreak to ensure they have a good time at home. In the afternoon,  volunteer teachers read books about COVID-19 with children, to guide them know about the epidemic and form good hygiene habits. 

The Women's Federation of Chengdu City also launched an activity to collect videos and photos of the parent-child cultural activities at home, aiming to strengthen close relationship between family members and ensure a healthy and safe vacation for the children.

Children Express Support for Fight Against COVID-19

Children across the country have also supported the fight against the epidemic. They drew pictures, wrote poems and short essays, and made videos to popularize epidemic prevention information and show their support for frontline medical workers.

 (Women of China)