Rwanda child friendly animation video: During this COVID19 pandemic every child can be a superhero

In an effort to slow transmission rates of COVID-19 Save the Children Rwanda on the 16^th of April launched an animated handwashing video, aimed at young children and families in Rwanda. The video was designed and produced locally by a Rwandan animation and illustration firm - InkStain for Save the Children.

This Animated Video, narrated by a young Rwandan girl child in Kinyarwanda with English subtitles, features an African girl child character taking us through steps in how every child can be a superhero in these times of coronavirus. The animated video is designed to be understood by young children and parents everywhere. It demonstrated good hygiene practice and speaks on the symptoms how to report those symptoms of coronavirus in Rwanda.

Maggie Korde, Save the Children, Country Director for Rwanda and Burundi: “Children have a vital part to play in awareness and prevention of COVID 19. They are not just passive recipients of aid and information. They are our superheroes. And as this animation shows, they can inform us, the adults in their lives, how to avoid, recognize and respond to COVID 19”.

The video is part of a range of child-focused interventions rolled out by save the children around the world to help the world’s most marginalized communities protect themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is however specific to Rwanda but the message of staying home and practicing good hygiene is the same globally. It was produced with this in mind, accurate and age-appropriate information is key to prevention. Children and adults need access to reliable, age appropriate information to understand and implement steps to keep themselves and their community safe from infection.

“We are working with urgency at this time with the Government of Rwanda and different actors to produce localized Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials that promote awareness and behavior change in COVID-19.” says Ms Korde “A priority is to ensure that age appropriate learning opportunities are created as we support the Ministry of Education/ Rwandan Education Board with messages for broadcast via radio, television and other media. Our primary objectives in the coming months remain on ensuring program continuity and delivering on all our operations as much as possible, in the midst of this global crisis.”

Since the onset of the crisis, Save the Children teams around the would have been working to reach the most vulnerable and marginalised communities, to raise awareness of the risks of COVID-19 and ways to slow its spread and in Rwanda it has been no different.