UNESCO learning cities' responses to COVID-19
When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit in 2020, governments around the world temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. But how did learning continue for young and old during this time?
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) called on its network of 229 UNESCO learning cities to provide insights into their particular handling of the situation. During a UIL webinar series in 2020, they jointly developed strategies and exchanged information about good practices to ensure that learning did not stop.
In our new publication Snapshots of learning cities’ responses to COVID-19, we showcase local responses to COVID-19. The Chilean city of Santiago provided one of them.
The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) called on its network of 229 UNESCO learning cities to provide insights into their particular handling of the situation. During a UIL webinar series in 2020, they jointly developed strategies and exchanged information about good practices to ensure that learning did not stop.
In our new publication Snapshots of learning cities’ responses to COVID-19, we showcase local responses to COVID-19. The Chilean city of Santiago provided one of them.
Santiago, Chile
Through Project Hope COVID-19, a five-month pandemic response initiative, the city of Santiago provided financial and technical resources to support primary healthcare services in the community. The strategy was designed in such a way as to serve as a model for other municipalities throughout Chile.
Project Hope
Project Hope is an alliance between a university, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC); a mining company, BHP; the public sector (Chilean Government); and local primary health care services.
Its aim is to improve COVID-19 responses in vulnerable areas across four municipalities: Puente Alto and La Pintana (both low-income municipalities in Santiago), and Antofagasta and Pozo Almonte in northern Chile.
Its aim is to improve COVID-19 responses in vulnerable areas across four municipalities: Puente Alto and La Pintana (both low-income municipalities in Santiago), and Antofagasta and Pozo Almonte in northern Chile.
Project objectives
The objectives are to:
- increase access to healthcare for people with COVID-19 symptoms
- increase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 to 2,000 tests per day
- improve follow-up of positive patients and their contacts.
Organizing the project
The project was planned and implemented in approximately two months, entailing:
This structure established the three areas of work (based on three defined objectives and the territories where the strategies would be carried out) and project teams, grouped according to:
- project design and organization
- identifying resources for proposed strategies
- defining project work areas using a matrix organizational structure.
This structure established the three areas of work (based on three defined objectives and the territories where the strategies would be carried out) and project teams, grouped according to:
- project areas
- team members’ (i.e. the faculty, undergraduates and graduate students of UC) academic experience
- and stakeholders with experience in project management and other areas.
Challenges: Amending plans and adapting to local realities
The project developers noted challenges in planning a strategy that addressed different moments of the pandemic. This called for the capacity to review and amend the initial plan depending on contextual changes.
Generating alliances and building trust with local health services so that they accepted proposals and incorporated them into localized pandemic plans was also a challenge, as was adapting the project strategies to serve local realities in four partner municipalities, which required great effort from participating teams.
Generating alliances and building trust with local health services so that they accepted proposals and incorporated them into localized pandemic plans was also a challenge, as was adapting the project strategies to serve local realities in four partner municipalities, which required great effort from participating teams.
Challenges: PCR testing supplies and remote work
Global shortages of PCR testing supplies posed a major problem and affected some local teams’ trust.
The need for urgent pandemic-specific responses and having to work almost 100 percent remotely (hundreds of hours of teleconferencing) were also reported as major challenges.
The need for urgent pandemic-specific responses and having to work almost 100 percent remotely (hundreds of hours of teleconferencing) were also reported as major challenges.
Learn more!
Find more cases in our publication Snapshots of learning cities’ responses to COVID-19
UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) supports and improves the practice of lifelong learning in member cities by promoting policy dialogue and peer learning, documenting effective strategies and good practice, fostering partnerships, providing capacity development, and developing tools and instruments to design, implement and monitor learning cities strategies.
Become a member!
Photos courtesy of © Getty Images / claudiio Doenitz; Getty Images / ArtistGNDphotography; Getty Images / Ignacio Mandiola; Pablo Vargas Garcia; Getty Images / Maksym Belchenko; Getty Images / SDI Productions; Getty Images / Microgen Productions
Become a member!
Photos courtesy of © Getty Images / claudiio Doenitz; Getty Images / ArtistGNDphotography; Getty Images / Ignacio Mandiola; Pablo Vargas Garcia; Getty Images / Maksym Belchenko; Getty Images / SDI Productions; Getty Images / Microgen Productions
Scroll down to continue
Swipe to continue
Swipe to continue
UNESCO learning cities' responses to COVID-19
Santiago, Chile
Project Hope
Project objectives
Organizing the project
Challenges: Amending plans and adapting to local realities
Challenges: PCR testing supplies and remote work
Learn more!
UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities