Unicef and Airtel Africa announce partnership to support children affected by Covid-19

Nairobi.  Unicef has announced a new partnership with Airtel Africa which aims at providing children with access to remote learning and enable access to cash assistance for their families via mobile cash transfers.
Under the partnership, Unicef and Airtel Africa will use mobile technology to benefit an estimated 133 million school age children currently affected by school closures in 13 countries across sub-Saharan Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to statement issued by Unicef,  the adverse effects of school closures on children’s learning are well documented and as a result education experts warn that gains made in increasing access to learning in the previous decade are at risk of being lost, or even reversed completely.
 It even gets worse for poor households around the world, where the pandemic means a reduced or total loss of income due to the movement restrictions in place.
 Remote learning, supported by digital tools, is a core part of Unicef's response to ensure continuity of learning for those children with access to technology at home.
Under the arrangement, Airtel Africa will zero-rating select websites hosting educational content, which will provide children with remote access to digital content at no cost.
“COVID-19 is affecting access to information and education at an unprecedented scale. Worldwide, most children are not in school, which we know can lead to a number of increased vulnerabilities and setbacks. UNICEF is partnering with Airtel Africa to deliver better outcomes for children and families affected by widespread closures,” said Fayaz King, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Field Results and Innovation
The partnership will also provide UNICEF with a means to facilitate vital cash assistance to alleviate financial barriers for some of the most vulnerable families across the region, including many affected by the growing socio-economic hardships resulting from suspension of income earning activities. This will help ensure families have additional resources to cope with the ongoing health and economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some effective ways to cushion families from the effects of this crisis is through providing free Internet access to selected educational websites to help children keep up with their learning during the school closures and direct cash transfer programmes to reduce physical presence requirements for cash in hand exchanges,” said Raghunath Mandava, Airtel Africa Chief Executive Officer.
The partnership with Airtel Africa supports Unicef’s 'Global Agenda for Action for Children. The plan outlines global actions which private and public sector partners can take to keep millions of girls and boys – including those who have been uprooted by conflict, children living with disabilities, and girls at risk of violence – healthy, safe and learning.
Unicef and Airtel Africa’s partnership aims to benefit children and families in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia