Thursday 8 October 2020
On Thursday 8 October, Caritas Luxembourg presented the results of the five months of operation of the helpline that Caritas Luxembourg had set up to respond to calls for help from people and families during the period of confinement, as well as the feedback from the experience of the different services of Caritas Luxembourg during the sanitary crisis.
Figures
As you can imagine, there were many calls for help. From 7 April to 31 August - the period during which it operated - the Caritas Corona-Helpline processed 445 requests. 860 people, including 308 children, were helped, either through information, referral to other organisations or punctual financial aid. Altogether, Caritas Luxembourg gave 267,348.53 euros in punctual financial aid. This aid was made possible thanks to the support of many donors, to whom Caritas Luxembourg would like to express its sincere thanks.
Among the people who received aid there were many young people: 26.6% were under 30 years old and 32% between 31 and 40 years old. 39% of the applicants with children were single parents. Of the people who gave information about their employment, 19.2% worked in the restaurant sector, 13.8% as self-employed/freelancers and 9% in the cleaning sector. 67% of the applications came from people or families who, before the crisis, were still making ends meet.
Actions to be undertaken
In order to prevent those people who have appealed to the Caritas Corona-Helpline during the period of confinement, but also all those who will only be affected by the economic consequences of the health crisis in a few weeks, months or years, from falling permanently into poverty, Caritas Luxembourg calls for action and asks the government for increased efforts in the fight against poverty and inequality.
Finally, Caritas Luxembourg also asks that this crisis should not be used as a pretext either to reduce the amount of official development aid or to delay the implementation of measures against climate change. People in developing countries are heavily affected both by the health crisis and by the consequences of climate change. They also need solidarity to survive.
Find all the demands of Caritas Luxembourg for a better care of people and families in precarious situations in times of crisis and beyond in the position paper below!
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