Secretary of the Jambi Population and Civil Registry Social Service, Fadli, confirmed on Thursday that hundreds of children had lost their parents to COVID-19. The social affairs office would provide assistance every month to such orphaned children, he added.
Some 128 children have lost their biological parents, the data for which was obtained from the districts and cities in Jambi Province. Data collection was conducted following a letter from the Social Affairs Ministry, so that a record is maintained of orphans to receive assistance.
"Hence, at this time, we, along with the social affairs office in districts and cities across Jambi Province, continue to record children whose parents have died due to exposure to COVID-19, and along with teams on the field continue to process data that then assesses the veracity of the information," he noted.
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Fadli hopes that the 128 orphaned children would not lose hope and remain patient. The number of children, who lost their biological parents, will continue to increase, and the Social affairs office is committed to helping the children by providing Rp300 thousand (about US$21) per month.
Data on children who lost their biological parents indicated 37 kids in Jambi City, 16 in Tanjabbar, 15 in Bungo, 12 in Sarolangun, 10 in Muaro Jambi District, eight in Sungai Penuh, six in Batanghari, and five in Kerinci.
"We also have a special children social center to care for kids neglected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is included in the disaster category and, of course, it has an impact on the psychology of the child when the biological parent dies. It will be taken care of as best as possible. As for the child's school, of course, each district and city in Jambi Province has a respective authority to handle it," Fadli noted.
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Translator: Nanang Mairiadi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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