Protecting The Most Vulnerable
SPOON has been working with all of our global partners to adapt pandemic protective measures to the care of the children we serve. In 2020 and into the new year, SPOON’s Dr. Zeina Makhoul, Lauren Hughey and intern Jamie Magoon have worked with a coalition of partners to dig deep into the challenges facing SPOON’s kids in Zambia.
Along with our coalition partners CMMB Zambia, and SPOON Medical Advisory Board member Dr. Mary Hearst of St. Catherine University, we researched and developed the health impact assessment (HIA). The focus of the project was to understand the perceived effects of COVID-19 and the containment measures implemented in Zambia on children with disabilities and their families living in resource-poor communities.
“With this work, we wanted to generate and leverage data to shed light on how children with disabilities and their families in low-income communities in Zambia are faring during the pandemic. This is an opportunity to address the long-standing inequities for this population and ensure COVID-19 response efforts are disability-inclusive and resources are put in place where most needed.”
Zeina Makhoul, PhD, RDN
SPOON Nutrition Scientist
Key Takeaways
Our findings indicate that, overall, COVID-19 and related containment measures has adversely impacted the lives of children with disabilities and their families to a great extent. Most families reported a major loss of income resulting in stress, food and housing insecurity, and increased risk of child separation and neglect.
“It’s often difficult when I think of my future with my child.”
Mother of a child with disabilities
SPOON Nutrition Scientist
For more information about the assessment and key takeaways you can view and download the summary report here.
Next Steps
Moving forward, the HIA team will use the findings from this assessment to inform the design of a larger, more in-depth assessment in Zambia to:
- evaluate the disparate impact of COVID-19 and response measures on children with disabilities compared to children without disabilities;
- identify needs for training and resources; and
- provide an evidence base that stakeholders can use in their COVID-19 response and recovery planning
These findings will inform the design of a larger, more in-depth assessment in Zambia to 1) evaluate the disparate impact of COVID-19 and response measures on children with disabilities compared to children without disabilities; and 2) provide an evidence base that stakeholders can use in their COVID-19 response and recovery planning.
SPOON is proud to be part of this critical, ongoing initiative in Zambia and in all of the continuing efforts of our global partners to ensure the health and safety of ALL children, nourished to grow and thrive by the caregivers we empower.
This work was recognized by CORE Group and included in their global Health Practitioners Conference in January 2021. SPOON’s Lauren Hughey and our partners presented the findings.
