The Government of Ecuador introduced lockdown measures in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff at JUCONI took a number of steps to adapt its model of psycho-social care in order to support children during a period when they could be dealing with a fear of death and the loss of family members. A protocol was developed that allowed communication to continue via phone calls, WhatsApp and Zoom. This enabled the team to remain in contact with  the children and families on the programme and to continue to carry out a variety of  care activities.

The suspension of income-generating activities as a protection against Covid-19, impacted strongly on these families, as many heads of households are mothers and senior citizens who are employed in informal work. We continued to provide humanitarian assistance and food baskets to them which made an important contribution in ensuring that the children living in these households were fed.
After the confinement measures were suspended, face-to-face activities in our sectors in northwestern Guayaquil resumed on July 16^th. These included  home visits for psycho-social and therapeutic intervention sessions, as well as the use of safe spaces for discussions about the prevention of domestic violence and drug abuse.