Needs and Effects Post – COVID-19
After the waters of the pandemic have receded, the world will never again be the same. The emotional and traumatic effects of COVID-19 will take a long time to redress the fear and mistrust of being who we were back. On a social and economic level, we will witness devastating consequences that will once again put the most unfortunate at substantial disadvantages.
Unfortunately, people on the move are part of the most unprotected and underprivileged populations. Most of them are still traveling, have yet to reach their destination, or do not have the necessary conditions and support to integrate into the new countries.
On the one hand, COVID-19 has brought to light the injustices, inequalities, and social gaps that widen with the crisis. But, on the other hand, it also shows again how migrants, migrant workers, and their families contribute substantially to the development and economic, social, and cultural innovation of host societies.
In this sense, SIMN and its partners’ organizations project the effects and challenges in the long term and encourage collaborators, partners, and the international community to join our efforts in the following key areas urgently:
- Financial Stability and Job creation: We need to act now quickly and responsibly to provide migrant workers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses with innovative solutions to support their labor market resilience and adaptation to unemployment fallout and the loss of income, particularly for lower‐skilled migrant workers, especially informal and undocumented workers. The “Scalabrini Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Social Innovation of Migrants and Refugees Model” is a standing and successful example for certification, self-sufficiency, business creation, and integration.
- Access to food: We need to responsibly assure access to nutrition and contribute to reverse the malnutrition rates in countries of origin and host communities. SIMN’s programs on promoting integration through agriculture and farmer skills certification and those on nutrition for migrants and refugees (soup kitchens) are a great opportunity for helping and strengthening their resilience and adaptive capacity.
- Health care and decent housing: We need to continue expanding access to hard to reach populations to ensure programs such as primary health care insurance, social security, and decent housing. Current Scalabrinian local programs on health care protection, mental health, and well-being need support to increase their capacities and continue advocating to achieve sustainable financing for health.
- Wellness and labor inclusion for seafarers and fishers: We need to assure the labor inclusion of seafarers and fishers in the local economies unable to absorb unskilled workers and those returning from overseas, both land and sea-based. The Apostleship of the sea needs support to strengthen its current programs and advocacy efforts to achieve the reintegration process of seafarers and fishers in countries of origin.
- Operational and programmatic stability: We need to guarantee the operational stability of the missions to expand and strengthen institutional capacities, promote staff training, and create new programs according to real needs and including legal advice, mental health, education, health, housing, skills certification, intercultural programs, and emergency support. Scalabrinian missions around the world need financial support to continue helping the most disadvantaged people.
- Advocacy and policy coordination: We need to continue promoting and boosting sustainable and coherent actions, programs, and initiatives for protecting migrant and refugee’ rights. We encourage our partners at governments, international agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector to reinforce and consolidate the collaborative relationships at local and international levels.