WHO’s book for kids titled My Hero is You 2021: how kids can hope with COVID-19! professing hope to children during the second wave is a sequel to its famous 2020 kids book
The World Health Organization has published a sequel of its famous 2020 kids book professing positivity among children during the pandemic today.
‘My Hero is You 2021: how kids can hope with COVID-19!’ draws on the mundane daily realities of children since the onset of Covid-19. To date, for many kids, the pandemic continues to disturb their recreation and education. Most importantly, it has affected their time with friends, family, and teachers.
The book is currently available in Bengali, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili.
WHO’s new book focus on finding hope and joy among kids
My Hero is You 2021 is aimed at kids aged between six years old and 11-years-old. The story sees the return of the famous fantasy character Ario. The fantasy characters along with some new addition would travel the world to help children finding hope and joy in simple pleasures.
They would also address the fears, frustrations, and concerns of children in the current phase of Covid-19 and explore the various coping mechanisms.
The sequel drew inspiration from the responses to a survey of over 5,000 kids, their parents, teachers from across the world. They had described the challenges faced in the second year of the pandemic.
‘My Hero is You 2021: how kids can hope with COVID-19!’ is released by a collab of 60 humanitarian organisations along with the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the MHPSS Collaborative for Children & Families in Adversity hosted by Save the Children.
“The pandemic has profoundly impacted the life and well-being of millions of children around the world, including many living in situations of forced displacement as a result of conflict, violence, and persecution. In this period of fear, losses, and uncertainties for so many children and their caregivers, initiatives such as the ‘My Hero is You’ series can play a crucial role in helping them cope, heal and maintain hope for the future,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Kids in the second wave of pandemic
The second wave has led kids to become grumpy and fall prey to other psychological issues due to increased screen time and no social interaction. The situation had worsened as parents were busy working from home.
The young kids are facing learning disabilities and throwing tantrums. Most importantly, they are growing wary of socializing.
Some kids have lost their parents due to Covid-19. The thought of losing their childhood has affected them heavily. In the second wave, these kids are learning to understand the meaning of illness and its severity. Overall, the kids were losing their ability to think, their hope for the future in the pandemic.
The sequel of its 2020 kid book focussed on the same issue, ‘My Hero is You’, tries to bring back calmness and steadiness in kid’s life through a fantasy character via simple daily activities.
