COVID-related school closures risk pushing an additional 72 million primary school aged children into learning poverty—meaning that they are unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10—according to two new World Bank reports released on December 2nd.

The pandemic is amplifying the global learning crisis that already existed:  it could increase the percentage of primary school-age children in low- and middle-income countries living in learning poverty to 63 percent from 53 percent, and it puts this generation of students at risk of losing about $10 trillion in future life-time earnings, an amount equivalent to almost 10 percent of global GDP (...)

For the last few months, the Coronavirus has kept the world on tenterhooks. Shops, restaurants and other businesses had to close from one day to another, which had a tremendous impact on people’s lives and on the local economy. In the poorer countries, the consequences of the crisis could be devastating. The situation in many African and Asian countries may seem remote to us but it affects a huge amount of people. Daily pay is usually barely enough to provide for food and shelter for families and this is becoming more and more difficult due to the current situation. While people are trying to go back to ‘’normal life’’ in and around Luxembourg, it might take much longer in other countries where the consequences might be terrible and where the problematic is more complex. 

This is the reason why CSI is currently offering support to some of their partner organizations to fight against the spread of the virus and to lessen its negative consequences (...)

In cooperation with Dieschbourg Mill in Echternach, CSI Lëtzebuerg is selling fair-trade coffee from Peru. The proceeds go towards funding our project in support of disadvantaged children and youth in Bangladesh.

The coffee (beans or ground) is available from Dieschbourg Mill or CSI Luxembourg. If you order for a minimum of €75, Dieschbourg Mill will deliver to your home free of charge.