Pandemic Memories from Central America

MSC archived stories - June 1, 2022

As much as the pandemic has brought new life experiences for me personally, being a sponsor paved the way to uncover the realities facing our children from economic hardship to saving a family in Guatemala (Estephanie's niece) from Covid infection.

My memories are surreal when Saira just updated the situation from Honduras (added to media). Things are getting back to normal over there with face covering still mandatory. As a youth (age 18) she's health conscious and exercising her choices, even more so coping well for more than 2 years by taking precautionary measures rather than Covid vaccines.

This is in spite of CI health team in Honduras helped vaccinate 26,000 people, many of whom were at first reluctant but trusted CI staff (2021 Special Report, p.13). I think the Honduran healthcare system may not be helping Saira much to make up her mind. But she knows she can get advice from CI doctors, if needed on the efficacy of the vaccines.

I know schools in Guatemala are required students to have double-vaccinated before allowed to admit in current academic year, which also seems to be the case in Honduras. I wonder whether CI will have similar protocol for admission as the CCs are re-opening now.

Since the closure of the CCs, I knew little on the frontline activities of CI during the pandemic. In last October, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported^ that CI involved in holding cultural and artistic festivals in the communities of San Pedro Sula. The festivals included activities, such as breakdancing, freestyle rapping, traditional games and muralism to strengthen their organizational capacities and recover and occupy public spaces, as well as to promote participation and youth empowerment.

^ https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Honduras_update_October_2021_0.pdf

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