For the past three decades ChildFund New Zealand has supported vulnerable communities around the world thanks to the generosity of New Zealanders.

But now the charity is turning the tables to support Kiwis facing challenges of their own with the current COVID-19 lockdown.

'We are incredibly grateful for the support we've had from Kiwis during the past 30 years,” says, CEO of ChildFund New Zealand Paul Brown.

'Over 72 percent of our supporters have been backing us for more than two decades. Now it's our time to give back to them.”

Since mid-March, five staff members who comprise the Donor Services Team at ChildFund New Zealand have been checking in on the health and wellbeing of some of their Kiwi supporters through phone calls.

Working from their makeshift home offices, the team have been making great progress and are on track to reach 4000 supporters around New Zealand by the end of April.

'Just a phone call at this time can brighten up someone's day,” says Paul. 'What we've also found is that giving our team something positive to focus on has been good for their morale. This experience has bonded our team, as well as connected us to our community.”

Many of ChildFund New Zealand's supporters are over the age of 60, and some live alone. They may be feeling a heightened level of isolation and anxiety at this time.

Paul, who has been working for ChildFund as CEO for the past 15 years, says any help his team can offer supporters by simply staying connected to them has been welcomed.

During the early stages of the lockdown, Daphne Wyngaard, a member of the Donor Services Team, spoke to a donor who was unable to do her online grocery shopping and pay their Sky TV bill.

Over the phone, Daphne coached the lady how to go about that.

The Donor Services Team has reported that calls can take five minutes, others can last 40 minutes and others over an hour.

'Some people have identified to our staff that they have been feeling frustrated as people in their community haven't been checking in on them as much as they would have expected.

'We have been going back to people we have been concerned about with a follow-up phone call, or referring them on to the appropriate support networks such as Healthline, Need to Talk?, the Police, or Oranga Tamariki,” says Paul.

ChildFund New Zealand recognises that these types of crises can often lead to increased stress on families and subsequently, possible domestic and safety concerns in families.

The team has had training to arm them with knowledge and resources to point the public to, about keeping children safe during COVID-19.