Impact of COVID-19 on the lives of vulnerable young people in New Delhi, India: a mixed method study (original) (raw)

BackgroundIndia is home to the largest child population in the world. India also has faced a devastating burden of COVID-19 infections. During the first wave of COVID-19, the Indian government’s lockdown measures brought loss of livelihoods for millions. We aimed to explore the social, psychological and health impacts of the government’s pandemic measures on children and young people (CYP), and their families.MethodsBal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS) is a non-profit organisation providing child health and welfare services to marginalised urban slum communities in New Delhi, India. As part of formative evaluation of BUDS’s COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts, the team conducted a rapid survey of 60 children (10–17 years) and 62 young adults (18–25 years) who were beneficiaries of the relief programme. The team also undertook semi-structured interviews with nine young women attending BUDS’s second-chance education programme.ResultsAlmost all respondents had some understanding of COVID-19 (...