"Infected children are sent away from their families to stay at quarantine centres on their own during the Covid-19 pandemic but how will they cope at a place that is not child-friendly?" a 15-year-old girl from Nepalgunj questioned Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen Parbat Gurung, over the phone.

"It will cause fear, anxiety and mental stress," she added.

In response, Minister Gurung said that the government has prioritised making quarantine centres child-friendly to ensure that the mental health and overall welfare of all quarantined children are not compromised.

Many children, over the phone, expressed their curiosity and concerns in the campaign called 'Minister with Children' produced by Community Information Network (CIN) in collaboration with Save the Children, an international non-government organisation, to bring children's voice to the forefront.

Information Officer at the field office of Save the Children, Rachana Shrestha, said that the campaign was organised to make representatives and policy makers more responsible and accountable in addressing needs and challenges of children amid the pandemic.

Dal Rawal, Karnali Province Minister for Social Development committed to disinfect schools that are currently being used as quarantine centres while Minister for Social Development of Province 2, Nawal Kishore Shah, committed to make education accessible via distance learning amid COVID-19 crisis.

(Translated by Madhavi Marasini)