How COVID-19 affected our people

Before the Centre was closed in March we decided to mobilize the  most vulnerable clients and children, to support them with some food together with the staff since we  didn’t know how long the lockdown will last.

• On the 27^th March we closed completely the centre.
• We attended some emergencies with clients taking them to the hospital because public transport was completely forbidden.
• The first month we provided food for the most vulnerable and the admitted clients.
• The Hospital began calling us to know if we were in touch with the clients because they were not collecting the medicine in the Hospital and also to share the concern about malnourished clients. So we wondered whether it was due to fear of the Covid-19 outbreak.
• By May there was no positive case of Covid-19 in Moroto but there was an outbreak of cholera. So we decided to call all the staff and share the situation.
• From that moment we opened the centre and took a step a head and mobilized all clients and vulnerable children in groups at the centre for:
  • Awareness about Covid-19 and cholera preventive measures.
  • Follow-up their adherence to the medication
  • Provide Liquid Soap and Face-masks
  • Support them with  some additional food to help continue with the medicine.

HOW COVID-19 AFFECTED OUR PEOPLE

• Many clients didn’t go to the Hospital for fear of Covid infection and that was a big problem for them.
• Many of the women that were trained in business and had began their small business were forced to close and remain in doors with the ugly consequences for the entire family.
• Hunger began affecting most of them but especially the most vulnerable.
• Children are very much affected because the schools are closed and it seems there is no hope to re-open this year. Some of the adolescents that were in secondary schools are getting pregnant.
• Violence had been part of the cause of youth going to prison.

HOW COVID-19 AFFECTED the Project

The project in general is affected in different ways:

• We are already 13 years of existence trying to educate and sensitize against dependency. Our strategy had been empowering women and children for their future but now again with no jobs, hunger, etc. it seem we are going back to zero in that level.
• We are happy that 90 % of our children were in the school, because it had been struggle to sensitize the parents and communities to bring their children to school but now, we wonder how many will go back to it.
• One of the strength of the Project is individual attention, follow up and community sensitization, through meetings for clients, communities, parents, treatment supporters, etc. but now we are only focused with home visits.
• some of the donors that had been helping us had companies in tourism and already communicated that are not able to continue this year.

How we are managing to carryout our activities/follow-ups of Beneficiaries with the existing Covid 19 pandemic.

With the help of private donors we are managing to have the minimal necessary for running our activities in a preventive way, such as:

• We first of all sensitized the staff about the Covi-19, how to prevent, etc.
• After one month we opened and had quality time to share all the fears and feelings concerning Covid-19 and that really helped us and encouraged us to reach out to the clients and children. We express we can not remain closed at home.
• We all Wear face-masks for the home visits and in the Centre.
• Use of sanitizers/liquid soap &
• Social distancing in the centre and at home.
• Provide Face mask and liquid soap for the clients.

NEW APPROACH DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Some activities like clients meetings, community awareness, after school program, etc we are not able to resume but challenges always help us to

grow in different ways.

• The children of P7, S4 had been coming to the centre for television learning and reading in the library with the support of the educators.
• Follow-ups of children at home and provide material for learning and revision at home.
• Sensitizing children & parents on covid-19 outbreak and its dangers to humans as well as awareness of cholera outbreak and its effects to human life.
• We have started visiting the women that lost their small business to seek proper suggestions together with them on how to continue working with Covid existence in the country.
• Follow-ups of HIV + children & adults affected with HIV/AIDS to determine their adherence to the medication.
• We have been supporting OVC’s & the most challenged with flour, beans, & soap.
• Continued visiting hospital admitted clients.

PLANS FOR THE REMAINING MONTHS

Thanks be to God Moroto has not been affected directly yet with the virus but the consequences are big. So from now until the situation changes our plans are the following:

• Offer Psychosocial support for groups of ten people/adults and offer space to share and learn from each other. Even for the staff.
• Begin coaching children in groups of 10 putting tends in the compound to have proper social distance.
• Forming groups of adolescents and youth, assess their interest for learning or how spend their free time in a profitable way. Take the chance to offer them Educative & Productive topics/activities, carryout spiritual input, trainings in human development and skills.
• Continue offering capacity building for the staff especially in counselling, computer, data management, life skills, etc.
• Reach out to the HIV positive children to emphasize on the medication through continuous follow-ups etc…)