Refugee Children Hard Hit by Coronavirus School Closures
By Lilly Charlisle |
Going to school was already a daily challenge for many displaced children around the world. Now there are fears some may not return after COVID-19 lockdowns lift.
Isai* missed two years of school while his family was avoiding social unrest in his home country of Nicaragua and then fleeing first to neighbouring Honduras, and later to Guatemala.
At the age of eight, he finally returned to the classroom at the start of Guatemala’s school year in January. His mother, Lisseth,* said he had just started making friends when COVID-19 hit the country and the government ordered the closure of all schools.
“He had only two months of experiencing school life before everything shut down,” said Lisseth. “He’s very sad and distressed. For him, it is like being in Nicaragua all over again.”
This article was first published by UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency on May 11, 2020
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