Children are not the only face of the pandemic. In fact, if it were to be given one, perhaps it would have a constantly shifting face, one that reflects everyone in the world--in all our form and state.  The UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation for Children and Women recently released the “Policy Brief: The Impact of Covid-19 on Children” last April 15, 2020. In this brief, UNICEF states that  “this is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong.” All children of all ages may not be the center of the coronavirus but they are also being affected. More specifically by the Socio-Economic impacts and in some cases, by the mitigation measures that may have inadvertently caused more harm than good.

The harmful effects of the pandemic to the children differs in each and are not equal. These impacts are more likely to affect and be damaging to the poorest countries and in the poorest neighborhoods, and to those in already disadvantaged and vulnerable situations.  Especially here in our country, with the number of cases rising each day, more and more children have to suffer albeit unknowingly the consequences of these all. 

Learning. With the launching of remote learning. Many students, especially those in far flung areas are having difficulty accessing proper education. Though there have been more choices for them to dive in, the potential losses that may accrue in learning for today’s young generation, and for the development of their human capital, are hard to fathom. But with the guidance and help of each person in the household, we can only hope for the best. 

Survival and Health. While the available evidence indicates the direct impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mortality to be very limited, the indirect effects on child survival  stemming from strained health systems, household income loss, and disruptions to care-seeking and preventative interventions like vaccination may be substantial and widespread. Child nutrition should also be considered at this time. We should only serve healthy and balanced meals to the children in order to make sure they have enough energy and nutrients to go about their day. 

Freedom. Children these days cannot enjoy what we had in the past. They cannot go to the park, meet new friends, and play with them as long as they want. These days, we lock most of them up in our houses and keep them entertained with mobile gadgets. While these may be fun for them, it would have been great if they can enjoy fresh air and physical games too.

Although the pandemic may be affecting us in different ways, the path is still clear: we are in this together. Shifting our paradigms and focus is just the start. In order to fight covid-19 together and to lessen its effects to us and most especially to our children, let us stay home and save lives. As much as we can, we must do our part in order to help speed up our country’s recovery. This is why the Malagos Garden Resort chose to settle with the new normal and has done our best to give you a safe channel as to which you can get your homegrown needs, hearty meals, and comforts in the midst of this all. Simply head on to our website, choose what you need, and we will deliver it to your doorstep in a heartbeat. We may not know when this will end but we do know that through lifting each other up, we can rise through this. Stay home, stay homegrown.