Gatagara, Rwanda

The spread of COVID-19 is affecting the most vulnerable, especially children and youth. On March 21, the Government of Rwanda issued a country-wide lockdown—still in effect—disallowing movement outside the home and barring inter-city and district travel.

In Kids Play’s community of Gatagara, families must stay inside, which hinders money-making opportunities for many people that exist on around a dollar a day. Additionally, the lockdown has caused prices in the village to soar 50 percent above average, meaning most people can’t purchase their regular staples like rice and beans, as well as can’t afford to take transport to other areas to find less expensive options

To help those in our program stay well—and prevent children and youth from searching for food or jobs—Kids Play supplied 1,500 kilograms of rice in mid-April to our players and their families. We purchased the rice from a local supplier near Gatagara, and Kids Play coaches handed out the rations at the local government office. Adhering to precautionary guidelines, we made sure a hand-wash station was present and used cones to ensure everyone stayed six feet apart

Our local coaches have told us this food has made a significant impact on those in our program, especially helping to nourish our players during this time.

“Kids Play Families are so happy. This food distribution is helping to keep children alive during this worrisome time.” – Coach Alice | Kids Play Rwanda 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our campaign. Please consider donating to our fundraiser so we can continue supplying those in Gatagara with much-needed food throughout the pandemic.

Ang Chagn Chass, (Siem Reap) Cambodia

COVID-19 TOURISM IMPACT

Due to Cambodia’s close proximity of China, which was the origin of the outbreak and the leading source of international travelers and tourism spending in Siem Reap, our community has been feeling the impact of this crisis since late January.

Siem Reap is a city heavily reliant on tourism from China, Europe, and North America and is expected to lose at least $3 billion in tourism-related revenues, according to an analysis by Animesh Kumar, a travel and tourism director at GlobalData, a research and consulting firm based in London.

As the economic toll mounts, it will further depress the rural economy, which is already declining due to under another year of drought. Additionally, since the borders have been closed, trade has ceased causing the price of most agricultural products to fall, meaning less money for farmers.

This is why Kids Play’s Food Distribution is vital to helping out the local Ang Chagn village that we work in. By buying locally and distributing into the village, it is guaranteeing that our students are being provided with basic nutrition.

In Kids Play Cambodia, the majority of our participants’ families work in the tourism industry or agriculture. This is especially concerning for the future of our students post COVID-19. According to UNICEF, 55% of Cambodian adolescents will have dropped out of school by the time they are 17 years old. This number is even higher in the countryside.

“I fear that our families will pull our students out of school to help on the farm or at home to earn extra money after COVID-19,” – Coach Sophea | Kids Play Cambodia

By showing our support to the communities, we are able to continue to build trust with the families we work with as well as supply them with the most basic of needs. We do not know what the future holds for Siem Reap but we do know that with help from others we will be able to fight this outbreak and come back stronger.

Thank you so much to those who have donated so far: