Plan International – our global charity partner – works in over 75 countries and is currently responding to the effects of coronavirus around the world.

From Cameroon to Cambodia, the charity is providing access to hygiene kits and clean water so people can safely wash their hands, and raising awareness of the dangers of coronavirus and how to prevent an outbreak in their communities.

Plan International is scaling up its work in refugee camps where families live in crowded conditions without access to soap and running water. For most, self-isolation simply isn’t an option.

Azraq refugee camp in Jordan – where club chairman Bruce Buck and ambassador Katie Chapman have visited in the past two years – is home to 36,000 Syrian refugees, 60 per cent of whom are children. Plan International has been handing out sanitiser handcraft kits containing materials to make face masks and other protective equipment, with training provided via group calls.

Plan International is also working hard to find ways to keep children learning even when they can’t go to school. In Ghana – where former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini visited in 2015 – Plan International is delivering its school lessons via national radio, while in Mozambique – which is still recovering from the devastating impacts of Cyclone Idai – they are distributing children’s learning materials and helping teachers deliver distance learning.

For more details about how the charity is supporting the most vulnerable communities around the world to keep children safe during the coronavirus crisis, please visit plan-uk.org.

Chelsea FC and Plan International launched Football for Change last December to help children from Asia to Africa play football, learn and thrive by donating footballs and sports equipment.

In many countries across the world, children don’t have access to the latest football kit, so they come up with ingenious ways to play the beautiful game – including making their own footballs using pieces of fabric, string and tape (see photo above).

The Football for Change keepy-uppy challenge is a fun way to ‘keep up’ your football skills while at home over the Easter holidays. Check out the latest edition of the Chelsea Foundation’s ‘Extra Time’ learning resource to find out how to make your own homemade football and show off your skills!