In addition to this urgent work rescuing and supporting survivors of trafficking, Blue Dragon is responding to COVID-19 in the following ways:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Blue Dragon\u2019s four shelters for street children and human trafficking survivors remain open. Social workers are being very creative in keeping the children constructively occupied and engaged in learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Street Outreach work has ramped up. The number of children on the streets in need of support has increased significantly, including children as young as five. <\/b>\u201c<\/i><\/b>Blue Dragon\u2019s outreach team normally meets around 8-10 new kids per month on the streets of Hanoi. Because of coronavirus, we are meeting double the number of children exposed to the dangers of the streets.\u201d<\/span><\/i> Blue Dragon offers these children emergency accommodation and support for family reunion, as well as food and hygiene supplies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Emergency food aid, such as rice and noodles, is being distributed to hundreds of individuals and families in cities, rural areas and quarantine centers.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
- The Hanoi drop-in center has had to close temporarily due to local gathering restrictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Students are continuing to learn online<\/span> and Blue Dragon is supporting students across Vietnam to ensure they can access their remote classes. Volunteers and staff are providing additional tutoring and support, including for hearing impaired children.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Close community monitoring is underway in order to immediately find out about families in difficulty and get help to anyone who needs it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
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\u201cI think what we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg and it will get much worse over the coming months. <\/span><\/i>Many of the children and families we work with were already in poverty or in crisis, so now they are reaching a breaking point as they have no means to make a living.<\/i><\/b> Many of the children have already experienced some form of abuse in their homes, the community, on the streets or when they were trafficked. People are under a lot of stress, and so if abuse already exists in a household or community, it can be amplified by this situation. This puts children at high risk, especially where there is alcoholism or drug use, or if they come from a broken family. Our staff are staying in very close contact with children who are at home and in the community to ensure their safety.\u201d<\/span><\/i>
\n\u2022 Skye Maconachie, Blue Dragon Co-CEO\u00a0\u2022<\/span><\/p>\nAs the crisis continues to evolve, the needs of communities continue to grow. <\/span>The GoPhil Rapid Response Fund provides quick and flexible funding to support emergency relief efforts spearheaded by partners like Blue Dragon.<\/b> Let\u2019s join together in solidarity with these partners and communities during this time of urgent need.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>