Instituciones educativas deben remontar impactos negativos de la pandemia

On 19 October 2020 in the Monte Sinaí neighbourhood of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Denisse Toala, 17, videochats with a student counselor, who checks in with her nightly to see how she is coping with the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, and doing well and with her schooling and the volunteer work she does in her neighbourhood. Since classes moved online at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many children have fallen behind in their learning due to a lack of resources necessary for successful remote learning – resources such as digital connectivity, internet access and adequate support. As children have still not returned to physical schools since nationwide closures on 15 March, Denisse, a high school senior, has taken it upon herself to help bridge the gap by teaching children in her community. She spends four hours, Monday through Thursday, guiding some 40 children of all ages who lack the necessary resources for distance learning, or who wish to augment their education with additional instruction. Classes convene beneath a tree in one of the more remote areas of Monte Sinaí, using benches donated by local residents. Denisse receives help from two volunteers, and community members accompany the children to lend additional security as needed. Denisse will soon graduate from secondary school and wants to study to become a doctor. As of 30 September, according to Ecuador’s Ministry of Health, there were 137,047 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, resulting in 7,546 confirmed deaths from the disease and 3,809 probable deaths; the Ministry reported 112,296 cases of recovery. In response to the pandemic, UNICEF Ecuador is leading the WASH and Education clusters and the Child Protection Area of Responsibility. These coordination efforts directly support the National Government in the emergency response by identifying the most pressing needs and gaps while advocating for keeping children healthy, reaching every child with water, sanitation and hygiene,