23 June 2020 ¨C The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the interconnected nature of our world ¨C and that no one is safe until everyone is safe. Only by acting in solidarity can communities save lives and overcome the devastating socio-economic impacts of the virus. In partnership with the United Nations, people around the world are showing acts of humanity, inspiring hope for a better future.
Everyone can do something
Rauf Salem, a volunteer, instructs children on the right way to wash their hands, in Sana'a, Yemen. Simple measures, such as maintaining physical distance, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask are imperative if the fight against COVID-19 is to be won. Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵI341697
Creating hope
Venezuelan refugee Juan Batista Ramos, 69, plays guitar in front of a mural he painted at the Tancredo Neves temporary shelter in Boa Vista, Brazil to help lift COVID-19 quarantine blues. ¡°Now, everywhere you look you will see a landscape to remind us that there is beauty in the world,¡± he says. Ramos is among the many artists around the world using the power of culture to inspire hope and solidarity during the pandemic. Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR/Allana Ferreira
Inclusive solutions
Wendy Schellemans, an education assistant at the Royal Woluwe Institute in Brussels, models a transparent face mask designed to help the hard of hearing. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and partners are working to ensure that responses to COVID-19 leave no one behind. Photo courtesy of Royal Woluwe Institute
Humanity at its best
Maryna, a community worker at the Arts Centre for Children and Youth in Chasiv Yar village, Ukraine, makes face masks on a sewing machine donated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR) and civil society partner, Proliska. She is among the many people around the world who are voluntarily addressing the shortage of masks on the market. Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR/Artem Hetman
Keep future leaders learning
A mother helps her daughter Ange, 8, take classes on television at home in Man, C?te d'Ivoire. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, caregivers and educators have responded in stride and have been instrumental in finding ways to keep children learning. In C?te d'Ivoire, the United Nations Children¡¯s Fund (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF) partnered with the Ministry of Education on a ¡®school at home¡¯ initiative, which includes taping lessons to be aired on national TV and radio. Ange says: ¡°I like to study at home. My mum is a teacher and helps me a lot. Of course, I miss my friends, but I can sleep a bit longer in the morning. Later I want to become a lawyer or judge." Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵI320749
Global solidarity
People in Nigeria¡¯s Lagos State simulate sneezing into their elbows during a coronavirus prevention campaign. Many African countries do not have strong health care systems. ¡°Global solidarity with Africa is an imperative ¨C now and for recovering better,¡± said United Nations Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres. ¡°Ending the pandemic in Africa is essential for ending it across the world.¡± Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF Nigeria/2020/Ojo
A new way of working
Henri Abued Manzano, a tour guide at the United Nations Information Service (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIS) in Vienna, speaks from his apartment. COVID-19 upended the way people work, but they can be creative while in quarantine. ¡°We quickly decided that if visitors can¡¯t come to us, we will have to come to them,¡± says Johanna Kleinert, Chief of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵIS Visitors Service in Vienna. Photo courtesy of Kevin K¨¹hn
Life goes on
Hundreds of millions of babies are expected to be born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fionn, son of Chloe O'Doherty and her husband Patrick, is among them. The couple says: ¡°It's all over. We did it. Brought life into the world at a time when everything is so uncertain. The relief and love are palpable. Nothing else matters.¡± Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵI321984/Bopape
Putting meals on the table
Sudanese refugee Halima, in Tripoli, Libya, says food assistance is making her life better. COVID-19 is exacerbating the existing hunger crisis. Globally, 6 million more people could be pushed into extreme poverty unless the international community acts now. United Nations aid agencies are appealing for more funding to reach vulnerable populations. Photo: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHCR
Supporting the frontlines
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Air Service, run by the World Food Programme (WFP), distributes protective gear donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Group, in Somalia. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is using its supply chain capacity to rapidly move badly needed personal protective equipment, such as medical masks, gloves, gowns and face-shields to the frontline of the battle against COVID-19. Photo: WFP/Jama Hassan
