Support a community response to COVID-19 in emerging Asia

There is no question that the pre-existing global inequality crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to negatively affect the lives of marginalised young people around the world. The deepening divergence driven by the pandemic is emphasised by growing vaccine inequality, with 40 percent of the population vaccinated in the richest countries of the world, compared to 11 percent in emerging markets, and only a tiny fraction in low-income countries.

The LSEG Sustainable Action Teams in ASEAN are proud to be working with EMpower to expand our outreach and making a real difference to the local ASEAN communities.  EMpower – The Emerging Market Foundation commits to addressing local needs and is uniquely positioned to bring support to where it is needed most. Empower’s 20-year history of deep-rooted partnerships with communities means that we can ensure that your funding reaches those in most need of help. 100% of your donation will go towards making an impact to local communities and donations of LSEG employees can be matched 100% through LSEG’s charity matching programme .

Emerging needs in communities: what we are seeing and hearing

In recent weeks the pandemic epicentre has moved from India to Indonesia. The country surpassed India as the country with the maximum number of cases reported on a single day, and the number of daily deaths has exceeded 1,000. Hospitals and medical staff are struggling to cope, yet cases are expected to continue to mount due to earlier under-reporting. The sharp spikes in infections and a slow roll-out of the vaccines needed to stop it are wreaking havoc. In other parts of the region too - the Philippines has the second-worst outbreak in South-east Asia. Families are struggling to find hospital beds in this severe pandemic surge. Although case numbers have remained comparatively low, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City is facing medical collapse as the country has seen new outbreaks across half of its provinces. Progress in addressing poverty, precarious employment, and human development in the region will likely have huge setbacks.

EMpower supports 19 local organisations (grantee partners) across Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. These grantee partners are deeply rooted in their communities and best placed to address emerging challenges in this moment of crisis. We have been in close contact with all of them to ascertain the current most critical needs in their communities. In addition, we undertook a global survey to hear first-hand from young people about the impact of the crisis on their lives one-year in. Click here to read the full report.

Here is what they cited as needs:

-Mental health care so they can process their emotions and feel heard

-Improved access to schools, including online learning (particularly for girls)

-Income generation and vocational training for emerging work opportunities

-Financial resources to meet their basic needs, such as food

-COVID-19 prevention and sexual and reproductive health supplies

Support this campaign and together, we can create a response and recovery from COVID-19 that is more equitable, putting young people front and centre.