An estimated 6.7 million children have suffered from COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death in the past two years (as of January 15, 2022). This number is rapidly growing: every 6 seconds another child loses a parent or caregiver. This report, issued by dozens of leading international NGOs, outlines the magnitude of loss globally due to COVID-19 and presents tangible steps that the U.S. government can take to support children and families.
This collaborative-led memo proposes that the U.S. government:
- leverage the U.S.-hosted Global COVID-19 Summit this spring to incorporate care for COVID-19 orphans in the “Save Lives Now” pillar of the global response;
- advocate for all countries to include care for affected children as a matter of policy in their COVID-19 strategies; and
- lead by example by investing an incremental $1.5bn over five years through existing USAID and PEPFAR platforms to help protect 2.4 million COVID-19 orphans in 15 high-burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
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