In 2020 the Humanitarian Program of Save the Children focused on prevention and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in the child protection and education sectors. For this purpose, Save the Children coordinated and managed the Education Cluster of Humanitarian Country team in Mongolia together with UNICEF. We have co-developed the Education Cluster’s Covid-19 pandemic preparedness and disaster protection plan and had it approved by MES. We also provided pertinent technical assistance, such as representing the cluster in comprehensive practical training held in Ulaanbaatar city and developing work tasks for evaluation of TV- broadcast class results. We published 81,000 copies of the manual “How you can help your child prepare to start school” with financial support from UNICEF. This manual defines the essential skills and habits a child needs to have developed by the time they start elementary school. It provides support and advice to parents as well as practical tips, such as how to choose school bags for 1st graders and hand-washing.

We have partnered with AFCYD to support psychosocial wellbeing of children and parents from March to May 2020. For this purpose, we developed a 6-module online training package to provide psychosocial support for children and families and provided online training and advice for 228 child protection specialists from 21 aimags and the capital city who work with children and families. We have also developed posters with tips for public, parents, caretakers, children to provide psychosocial support, and disseminated them through social media. We have developed the following books to provide accurate information on the Covid-19 pandemic and how best to cope with it, written in simple language to suit the psychology of young children and delivered to target group readers.

Save the Children officially obtained permission to translate into Mongolian “My Hero is You”, a storybook for children on Covid-19 developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. We printed 3,750 translated copies and distributed them to NEMA, AFCYD, schools, kindergartens and partners in 7 aimags and 3 districts of the capital city. The World Health Organization also printed 10,000 copies and distributed them through the National Centre for Mental Health of Mongolia. In addition, a video version of the storybook was produced and shared for children.

We have conducted rapid needs assessment in May 2020 on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on families and children in seven aimags and three districts of the capital city where our projects and programs are implemented. The survey assessed three areas: child protection, education, and food security and livelihoods. A total of 555 households, 59 children and 108 professionals from the sector participated in the study. The assessment report was prepared in Mongolian and English languages and disseminated to the UN-led International Humanitarian Team and Education Cluster, other agencies and the general public.