Experiences & recommendations of girls and boys in West Africa on the impact of COVID-19

This report explores children and young people’s views and experiences related to COVID-19 and its indirect impacts. Firstly, it looks at children and young people’s perceptions of how COVID-19 has had an impact on their lives and countries. Secondly, it seeks to highlight the ways in which they are working to help to stop the spread of the virus and lessen its impacts.

This research included individual and group interviews with 160 children and young people (80 girls and 80 boys) between the ages of of nine and 18 from eight countries across West Africa: Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The interviews took place in-person with physical distancing and over the phone. This consultation followed the minimum standards for consulting with children and young people developed by the Inter-agency Working Group on Children’s Participation

Our consultation was conducted from May to June 2020 using a qualitative approach.It followed the minimum standards for consulting with children and young people developed by the Inter-agency Working Group on Children’s Participation. The report also draws on findings from interviews conducted in Kenya as part of another World Vision consultation, Children’s voices, from May to July 2020.

As a Christian organisation, World Vision's ultimate goal is to ensure that all children are cared for, protected and feel loved. We work towards empowering children and young people to become change agents on issues that affect them, and so, alongside our concerns over reports of increased child rights violations, it has been a source of inspiration to hear from children and young people about how they are rising to the challenge and raising awareness of the threats of COVID-19 in their communities.