“Happy Family”, a child-friendly animation series will air on several of Cambodia’s national TV channels for one month, starting on the 23rd of May. The videos are produced by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), UNICEF and Save the Children through Breakthrough-ACTION. Breakthrough-ACTION is USAID’s global flagship program on social and behavior change, providing a variety of COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement activities in Cambodia.

Funded by USAID’s Breakthrough ACTION project, this TV programme provides children and caretakers with life-long skills on how to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus,  how to stop it from spreading, as well as how to cope with the pandemic aftermath..  

The edutainment series has a target audience of 5 to 10 year olds, and revolves around a colourful family of bunnies. The storyline and messaging spans handwashing, social distancing, learning from home, mental and physical well-being, and stigma and discrimination. Each episode is unique and appealing for parents and other caregivers, who will also learn, alongside their children, how to apply suggested prevention techniques for COVID-19.

The key messages are communicated through situations and explanations that are child friendly, fun and engaging. This increases the chance that children can apply key actions demonstrated to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Mrs. Elizabeth Pearce, Country Director of Save the Children in Cambodia, explains: “Children are not immune to COVID-19 and can play a key role in helping reduce transmission rates, not just among themselves, but in informing parents, aunties and grandparents and other younger children too. In general, infectious diseases spread more quickly among children who are more tactile, and less able to understand instructions about hygiene and sanitation. There is a lack of accurate and child friendly information around preventing COVID-19 for children aged 5-10 years old and lack of COVID-19 prevention information flow to vulnerable groups, such as grandparents, particularly grandmothers/aunties who are becoming primary caretakers of children since schools are closed. Simple measures, and age appropriate information can be lifesaving.”

As countries around the world impose strict lockdown restrictions, an estimated 1.5 billion learners are now out of school and university. For many children, schools provide a vital link to reliable information. The video series will be broadcasted on children’s TV programs during the weekend, namely on Bayon TV, TV5 and PNN as well as on social media channels.

Cristian Munduate, UNICEF’s Representative in Cambodia said:  “We know that in time of crisis, children bear the highest toll. UNICEF is working with partners to make sure that children have access to tailored, child-friendly and inclusive information on how to protect themselves. Knowing how to properly wash their hands or observe the correct social distancing can be lifesaving. While schools and public events are not accessible, we hope that through TV and social media, we can provide families around the country with the knowledge they need to stay healthy and safe.”   

Since the onset of the crisis, Save the Children teams have been working to reach the most vulnerable and marginalised communities, to raise awareness of the risks of COVID-19 and ways to slow its spread. Our COVID-19 response strategy aims to protect the most vulnerable children and communities from infection, to slow down the transmission, and to address the secondary impact related to health, livelihoods, education and protection. We are preparing, adapting and innovating our programming to ensure that children can safely access programs that support them to survive, learn and be protected during and after COVID-19.

For media inquiries, please contact:

1. Ms. Say Sokpheap, Communications Manager, Save the Children via her email: sokpheap.say@savethechildren.org or her phone: 012 682 770
2. Mr. Meas Bunly, Communications Specialist, UNICEF Cambodia via his email: bmeas@unicef.org or his phone: 012 733 909