Get Well Soon World! — England

Last summer, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, we didn’t think it would affect us and the world the way it did. It seemed unreal and distant; nobody thought it could reach them and pose a threat to them and their family’s safety. But we were wrong. We had to leave our education program abroad and come back home to our families in fear of the borders closing and not letting us come back.

We were afraid, sad, lonely, and during quarantine we tried to do everything we could to continue our usual life—but that wasn’t possible anymore. A realization came to us then: we are one of the lucky ones. There were, and still are, people who are suffering much worse fates because of this disease. Most of us cannot even imagine what it is like. We pray for these people to heal and to get well soon. We want them to be safe because putting ourselves in their position enables us to catch a glimpse of how terrifying the situation is. We urge you to do the same, and to do all that you can to make the world get well soon.

It’s these thoughts during quarantine that inspired us to launch our initiative. Last spring, my friend Elizabeth and I found ways to support people in difficult situations due to the virus. We started with simply drawing pictures with kind messages and wishing for the world to get better. Then, our initiative gained support from multiple bloggers on Instagram. Now, our page has grown and is dedicated to the problems of poverty, COVID-19, and ecology. We talk about the problems of our world every day and suggest how we can solve them and motivate our followers.

Our inspiration is the desire to help people and support them during difficult situations. We are worried by all the suffering the pandemic has caused and other societal issues, and we hope our initiative can inspire other people to do charity work and try to make a positive impact in their community.

— Elizabeth & Andrea, 15 &16

Sevenoaks, U.K.