Our lives during COVID-19: kids tell their stories

Children have been shining the spotlight on what their lives are like during the COVID-19 pandemic through video diaries published by UNICEF.

The international children’s charity asked youngsters from around the world to document their home lives, to provide what it calls ‘a glimpse into their world’, and how every youngster has a unique method of coping with the effects of something which has, in some way or other, affected us all.

“Lockdowns, school closures and social confinement are all having a big impact on children – the longer-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic pose a risk to their safety, well-being and future,” says UNICEF.

‘A glimpse into their world’

Children in Egypt, the USA, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Italy are among those featured in the video diaries, some of which you can see on the UNICEF website. More Stay Home diaries are available on YouTube.

“Even if we are far away, we can also be very close. You are not alone”. Those are the words of Hannah, a teenage refugee living in a reception centre in Italy. Despite being separated from her friends, Hannah is dedicated to finding new ways to stay happy and busy.

Keya meanwhile, who is 13, is staying home in the Indian city of New Delhi, one of the most densely-populated cities in the world. “If there is something you and your family enjoy doing, then this is probably the best time to do it,” she says.

‘Every evening I wait for 7 o’clock’

And what about Arhaan in the USA? Despite this seven-year-old, like the rest of us, having to stay largely indoors, he retains enough humour to be thinking about when the ice-cream van is able to return to his street.

On a much more poignant note though, he also takes part in the regular round of applause for key workers that ripples across his neighbourhood, adding: “Every evening I wait for 7 o’clock so I can clap for all the people who help us against coronavirus.”