Responding to Covid-19

RESPONDING TO COVID-19

Read how The Salvation Army is responding to COVID-19 around the world

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on 11 March 2020 that the COVID-19 outbreak had officially become a global pandemic. Around the world we have seen governments respond to the pandemic using measures never seen before, certainly not on such a huge scale. The immediate focus for governments has been to try and stem the spread of the virus, save lives, and protect the economy. It has been well reported in the media that countries which are more economically developed, such as the UK and USA, have struggled to control the outbreak and face massive economic implications due to the long periods of ‘lockdown’. However, at the time of writing, in the UK six months on from the start of the pandemic we are told the all-important ‘R’ number appears under control for now, and we are being actively encouraged to get back to some sort of normality in our day-to-day lives.

This, however, is very different in other parts of the world. It stands to reason that the health, social and economic impact will be felt acutely by those in communities with little or no formal healthcare systems – communities with inadequate sanitation and access to clean water, and communities where overcrowding in homes amongst the economically marginalised is normal. Whilst the reported infection rate is currently not as dramatic in these places as had been initially feared, there is no doubt these statistics do not come close to offering a true picture of the impact of COVID-19.

The Salvation Army International Emergency Services have been working tirelessly to help local people prepare for and fight the pandemic in communities around the world. The strategic focus has taken a two-pronged approach. At the forefront, there have been humanitarian aid programmes aimed at those struggling to access food and clean water, those facing significant economic impact, and the provision of personal protective equipment and sanitation alongside information on staying safe during COVID-19 in the poorest communities. The second focus is supporting our Salvation Army institutions such as corps (churches), schools, health facilities and hospitals through Mission Support projects.

Kenya West was home to the first international project supported by the UK. With 34,201 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout Kenya, and 577 related deaths as of 31 August, Kenya like most countries has begun to emerge from lockdown with strict social distancing rules and a nationwide curfew until the end of September.

Reaching a total of 7,450 people, Salvation Army International Emergency Services teams were able to work alongside the Ministry of Health, security agencies and other organisations such as Kenya Red Cross Society to support the identified need in three communities in the towns of Kakamega, Busia and Migori.

The core focus of the project was to support the most vulnerable, by raising awareness of COVID-19 through the production of educational materials providing information on how the virus is spread and measures people can take to protect themselves. With the growing economic impact and restricted access to basic commodities, communities were supported with the provision of hand-washing materials such as soap and sanitisers. Alongside the education material provided, communities were able to follow basic hand-washing advice with the aim of stopping the spread of the virus within local communities.

The UK, like many other wealthier Salvation Army territories, provides grants for Mission Support projects. The funds are raised within corps through an annual appeal and can be topped up by other donations specifically for missionary work. These grants usually support the day-to-day infrastructure of The Salvation Army (SA) church and its institutions in places where the local SA partners are not able to self-fund their work. However, during emergency situations such as COIVD-19, our partners across the world are given access to additional grants to support unexpected operational costs of the church and for projects which provide essentials to their officers, personnel and congregations. Helping to keep the church open is vital to many in these places. One of the reasons The Salvation Army can carry out community development projects in so many locations around the world is because the projects can rely on the existing SA church infrastructure and personnel. Although our mission projects and community projects are funded from separate resources and have different focuses, our community projects would not be possible without Mission Support keeping the church going in poorer communities which would otherwise struggle to operate.

The UK has supported one such Mission Support project in Ghana. During the worst part of the pandemic social gatherings there were severely restricted. It meant that corps were unable to open for worship. During this time, it was identified that once corps could re-open, they wouldn’t have adequate facilities for the congregation and officers to wash their hands, which is an essential defence against viral spread. The solution was installing Veronica Bucket handwashing stations at all 120 corps across the country.

Veronica Buckets is a relatively simple and cheap technology. It originates in Ghana and has now spread as a solution to hand washing in places across Africa with no running water. It offers a mechanism for handwashing which consists of a bucket of water with a tap fixed at the bottom, mounted at hand height, and a bowl at the bottom to collect waste water. This serves as a simple way to encourage proper hand washing using flowing water. Without a Veronica Bucket hand-washing station, bowls of water were available for hand washing, but many individuals would share the same water which could do more harm than good.

Alongside the provision of the Veronica Buckets, all corps were given liquid soap supplies and WHO posters on the importance of hand washing and how to do it properly. The arrangements to supply the equipment were made through Women’s Ministries.

Begoro Corps in Korforidua District received their Veronica Bucket in July. During the Korforidua District Home League Gathering, Colonel Hagar Amponsah, the Territorial President for Women’s Ministries, presented Major Christiana Incoom, District Director for Women’s Ministries, Korforidua District, with facemasks, hand sanitisers and WHO hygiene leaflets. Colonel Hagar also gave the women an educational talk on the importance of the use of wash stations and the washing of hands. The face masks, hand sanitisers and leaflets were then distributed to the women. Targeting the women in the corps is expected to spread the word more widely within the community.

If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Response Projects, complete and return the donation form at the back of this magazine or visit donate.salvationarmy.org.uk/ emergency/

by Jason Emmett & Francine O’Hanlon