Sharing dreams, hopes and fears: Children’s poems of life in lockdown

Mariam* 14, lives in Gaza with her family. She says Covid 19 has made the world like the city of the dead, and hopes to return to school and see her loved ones. Mariam attends programs run by Save the Children and their partner Ma’an in Gaza. Mariam* was critically injured by a missile strike in 2014 and shrapnel damaged her left ear. She’s fully recovered and wants to become a doctor to help children who’ve suffered like she has. “Achieving my little dreams will make me the happiest person.” It is a virus “It is a virus that made the world like the city of the dead After we were playing with friends, the streets became empty. We used go to a school to gain knowledge with my classmates. But now we are sitting in our homes on our own It is a virus that has deprived us from work and from the family's livelihood A virus that if it infects a person, it weakens his strength He would be deprived of seeing his family, loved ones and friends His immunity fades if he cannot fight it Ramadan came and we could not go to the mosques Ramadan that's full of generosity comes without us being able to go to the mosques We hope this pandemic will end and return to our lives We return to our school, mosque, and work and see our loved ones Eid will come and we will pray the Eid prayer in the mosque and see our loved ones” Save the Children invited children across the world to write a poem about life under lockdown, sharing their hopes, fears and how the pandemic has changed their lives. Billions of children’s lives have been turned upside by the Coronavirus pandemic. Never before have so many children been forced out of school, millions could be pushed into extreme poverty and face potentially lasting psychological trauma. Save the Children

Gradi*, 14, lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family in Kinshasa and his poem is called “Confinement”. He says the Pandemic has wreaked havoc in Congo and they call fight against it a “War”. What scares him the most that himself or a family member might catch the disease and he can’t wait to go back to school and see his friends. During lockdown he taught himself the keyboard and how to write poetry. “We can call it a war because this pandemic has wreaked havoc. And what scares me is that a family member or myself could catch the disease, that’s what scares me.” “What I’d say to other children is that the coronavirus mustn’t scare us, we have to fight it.” “I can’t wait to go back to school and to see my school friends.” Gradi’s poem - Confinement "Once, we used to live well. Meeting with my loved ones, our families and my friends. Today, we are forced to remain confined to our home. No schools, no churches, no meetings. Everyone is obliged to wear a mask and respect the prevention tips in order to fight against this disease which is called coronavirus." Gradi (14) is a member of the Youth Council, a structure set up by the Sexual and Reproductive Health Program of Save the Children in Kinshasa. As a member of the youth council, they have role to raise awareness to their peers on issues of sexuality and gender equality. Save the Children invited children across the world to write a poem about life under lockdown, sharing their hopes, fears and how the pandemic has changed their lives. Billions of children’s lives have been turned upside by the Coronavirus pandemic. Never before have so many children been forced out of school, millions could be pushed into extreme poverty and face potentially lasting psychological trauma.

Estefany* is part of the ‘I Also Have Something to Say’ group, supported by Save the Children in the Peruvian city of Huanuco, where teenage activists learn to fight for girls’ rights and campaign against sexual violence and harassment on the street and online. She used to think being harassed on the street or sexist ideas about a woman’s role were normal, but the workshops she attends with other young people have shown her that they are not. Stephanie loves the training programme and is excited about its potential to protect girls against sexual abuse and change damaging chauvinistic attitudes and behaviour. The group also campaigns to give children more of a voice, and took their message to candidates during the local election campaign. A full case study of Estefany is available. In her own words: “When I see that there is any injustice, I have to say something, I can't keep quiet.” “Your grandmother, your mum, would say to you: ‘You have to cook because how can you plan to get married without knowing how to cook?’ And then you naturally assume, ‘I’m a woman and that's how I have to live’. But, then, you enter the organisation and they say ‘no, it's not like that’.” “I can open the eyes of my mum, my aunts, people who still have sexist ways of thinking.” “Women want and can have the same possibilities, the same opportunities that men have today. It is what we women look for, to be able to have the same as men.” “The moment that you see that you are reaching more people, you feel that everything is worth it. When you see these people, your life returns, the motivation returns, it motivates you to keep going.” Hanna Adcock / Save the Children