DUBAI (UAE): The International Cricket Council (ICC) through its Cricket for Good initiative launched a fundraising campaign to support UNICEF’s emergency COVID-19 response in South Asia.
The campaign was launched at the inaugural World Test Championship Final being played in Southampton between India and New Zealand from June 18 and 22.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on South Asia, which is home to nearly 2 billion people, and more than a quarter of the world’s children.
The sheer scale and speed of the latest surge of COVID-19 across the region has outstripped countries’ abilities to provide life-saving treatment and essential services.
The region has to date recorded more than 30 million COVID-19 cases and over 400,000 deaths. The virus has had a direct impact on children, with many more falling ill than before.
Children are losing parents and caregivers to the virus, leaving many of them vulnerable and without parental care. Learning and protection issues continue to be a cause of concern, with lockdowns and closure of schools.
The essential health services that women and children rely on are also at risk of being compromised: during the first wave of the pandemic, an estimated 228,000 children across South Asia died due to disruptions in health services.
