While focus on physical health is essential during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is equally important to pay attention to the social and emotional needs, especially of children who are experiencing extreme changes in their formative years. As kids these days are limited to virtual interactions with their peers and teachers, parents and household members play a critical role in helping them navigate social changes and process newfound feelings of distress at home.
However, not all families may have the knowledge or access to resources that appropriately tackle such issues. Thus, to help address these emerging social and emotional needs in Filipino households, healthcare company Viatris in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) have made educational parenting videos from Sesame Workshop available online through the DOH official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OfficialDOHGov) as well as the Healthy Pilipinas campaign page (www.facebook.com/DOHHealthyPilipinas). These resources are also shared by DOH in their Twitter page @DOHgovph and Viber community DOH Philippines.
“Children may begin to show signs of increasing anxiety and frustration as they cope with the enduring mandate to stay at home or indoors,” says Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho, director of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau. “But with parents also busy at home and experiencing stress themselves, it is only important that we provide them with targeted learning materials that allow them to freely and properly discuss such subjects.”
With generous support from Viatris, Sesame Workshop first launched this suite of educational materials to guide parents on how to help their children deal with various changes during the pandemic. It includes videos, starring popular Sesame Street characters, dealing with topics such as how to manage feelings of stress and fear, creating positive strategies for caregiving and activities at home, and finding ways to celebrate and keep in touch with the external world while being physically apart.
The materials are expertly designed to be relevant and meaningful for multi-cultural audiences, befitting parents and children all around the world. Aside from the cartoon videos, the suite also includes notes, articles, printable activity materials and guide questions that viewers can use to reflect on before, during and after an episode.
“The efforts that we have made with Sesame Workshop as well as the partnership we have nurtured with the DOH are all part of our mission at Viatris to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life,” says Viatris Country Manager Ester Tacanay. “With so many Filipino families and children affected by the pandemic physically and mentally, we hope that these resources can create meaningful and positive impact, especially towards their social and emotional well-being.”
All the materials are available for free through the SSIC website (https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/) and since its launch, have reached families in more than 90 countries and in 40 languages, including the United States, India, South Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia and now in the Philippines.
