As COVID-19 puts more at risk, KOICA announces support for UNICEF crisis response

AMMAN — The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has announced its support to UNICEF’s COVID-19 fund to help vulnerable children in Jordan stay healthy and protected during the virus response and recovery period.

KOICA will support UNICEF’s health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and education programmes for vulnerable children and women in Jordan, according to a UNICEF statement shared with The Jordan Times.

“We are very grateful to the Korea International Cooperation Agency for their partnership as we scale up our efforts to protect children from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to this support, we can continue to ensure the most vulnerable children are protected at home and when they return to school,” said UNICEF Jordan Representative Tanya Chapuisat. 

“We are glad to contribute to Jordan’s national response to COVID-19 through our cooperation with UNICEF Jordan. We hope that with these efforts, UNICEF will support Jordan in minimising the repercussions of the pandemic on children’s education and health,” said KOICA Jordan Office Country Director Kim Hyo-Jin in the statement.

The contribution from KOICA “will provide much-needed funding” for the continuation of child helpline and case management services to ensure that the increased number of children and women at risk from protection issues such as gender-based violence, early marriage and child labour during the COVID-19 pandemic receive the support they need.

The partnership is also helping to scale up UNICEF’s work with the Ministry of Education to provide enhanced water, sanitation and hygiene in schools so that students in vulnerable communities can return to a safe and healthy learning environment, according to the statement. 

This will include the provision of hygiene supplies, including soap, as well as disinfection services and awareness raising for children and teachers on measures to stay safe and prevent the transmission of the coronavirus.

KOICA and the Government of Korea are long and valued partners of UNICEF in Jordan, supporting UNICEF’s work to strengthen national systems and helping to realise the rights of vulnerable girls and boys to health, protection and education, read the statement. 

KOICA and UNICEF are currently implementing the "Full Realisation of Vulnerable Girls and Boys Rights to Health, Protection and Education in Jordan” project from 2017 to 2020 at a value of $6 million, the statement concluded.