To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.
This Better Story was collected by Alexis Still
An innovative solution for children
Happy Days is an organization aiming to assist children facing physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and young carers and their families. During the crisis, the COVID Project helped sustain support for families and maintain operational continuity. This involved organizing various activities, holidays, and day trips for children.
A project for the vulnerable ones
Notably, the project focused on extending aid to those struggling with mental health issues, those who had experienced the loss of a family member, and individuals facing financial hardships.
From the initial lockdown in March 2020 until the easing of restrictions in July 2021, the project achieved a milestone by assisting 14,728 children.
The initiative strived to help children with disabilities, life-limiting conditions, and abuse. Also, it targeted the ones:
- Impacted by the effects of the coronavirus
- Coping with the loss of a parent, grandparent, sibling, or another family member due to COVID-19
- Whose families had been severely hit financially due to job losses
- Struggling with a notable decline in mental well-being because of the pandemic.
Image of Marisa Howenstine from Unsplash