Because of the COVID 19 Pandemic, life as we knew it has changed dramatically. Everything around us seems so fragile and temporary and most people have started to social distance themselves. We are all in this together, and we all need to self-quarantine. But what do we do during this time? As educators encouraging self-directed learning, IOU Foundation would like to urge you to remember that every experience can be made into a learning experience by reflecting upon it. Take this time to reflect upon your personal goals, educational goals, and how you wish to bring about social change through new learning. IOU Foundation would like to offer the following options during this time of isolation:

1. Use your communication skills to volunteer for an online storytelling session for young children who are uncomfortable being locked down in a small space without much external interaction.
2. If you are a psychiatrist or psychologist, extend a helping hand by reaching out to homebound people who might be anxious and need telephonic/video counselling.
3. Via online, teach exercises, meditation, and yoga to elders and young folks to ensure they remain fit.
4. Plant some saplings in your home garden. We must find ways to restore the greenery around us. IOUF feels very proud to share that our graduates continuously strive to restore the natural forest cover around the world and IOUF has been able to help them.
5. This is the best opportunity to learn some new skills to showcase in your resume. You can find thousands of courses relevant to you on websites like Udemy, freeCodeCamp, Coursera and edx
6. Plan your new venture, work on your new start up idea that you think can change the world for better and solve society’s problem at large.
7. It is the perfect time to divulge yourself into self-directed learning. Helping our learners in their social endeavors for past 39 years we consider ourselves to be an expert in this field. It is not easy but with little self-discipline you can master the art.
8. Do some charitable work like donating your time for online education of poor children.
9. Show empathy with your neighbors, share your surplus with them.
10. And finally, spend time with your family. You might not know what you were missing. This is the best time to reconnect with your loved ones.

We at IOU Foundation along with our partners the Universidad Azteca (UA) and the Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN) always encourage our learners to master the art of self-learning and pursue their goals of sustainable social change in society.