Pandemic Highlights Inequality

If you rely on New Zealand’s television networks for news, you could be forgiven for thinking that Covid-19 is only affecting Australia, America and the UK. There’s little reporting about the desperate plight of those living in the world’s poorest countries. The Salvation Army, however, is still working in many of these countries forgotten by the world.

Captain Karen Castro Ojeda is the commanding officer for Bastion Popular Corps and Centre in Ecuador, where 11,183 people are infected. There’s a curfew of 2pm to 5am, food prices have doubled and masks, sanitiser, alcohol gel and chlorine are scarce.

‘Families are going to the hospital to remove their dead relatives, but the hospitals cannot give them any help because they are so overrun. Funeral homes and cemeteries can’t help. Some people are taking their dead home and leaving them in the streets for fear of spreading the disease into their homes. The smell is dreadful. People call the Government’s phone numbers but there is no response. Our health system has collapsed,’ Karen explains.

General Secretary Captain Richard Bradbury is an English officer serving with The Salvation Army in Bangladesh. Like many officers around the world Richard (together with his family) chose to stay when the pandemic hit. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and has been on high alert and in lockdown since March.

‘The picture of Covid-19 here has never been very clear— testing is low, hospital statistics patchy and the health service infrastructure extremely limited,’ reports Richard.

‘It’s often said that in countries like Bangladesh, The Salvation Army is not just serving the poor, it is the poor. Salvationists live right on the edge of subsistence like most people here, never more than a day away from crisis and hunger. Most people around the world are wondering what the future looks like, but here these questions are redundant and ridiculous. The present is concerning enough.

‘We have learnt so much from working alongside our beautiful Bangladeshi colleagues and friends. Despite being understandably fearful and anxious, they have shown such courage in serving others, putting aside any regard for their own safety and worries. They’ve delivered hygiene packs, food parcels, all while dealing with one of the worst cyclones ever to hit Bangladesh.

‘Personally, we have constantly needed to ensure we are present here in Bangladesh, checking that our words and actions are filled with hope, love and joy—not fear and despair. We continue to pray that our faith remains stronger than our fears, remembering, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).’

Salvation Army Covid-19 support in Bangladesh

In Bolivia, Divisional Secretary for Programme Captain Ana Paredes reports that ‘the number of cases here is accelerating. The deaths are exposing the weakness and precariousness of our country’s health system.’

Like several other Latin American countries, Bolivia is fighting the virus without a specific contingency plan. Quarantine is mandatory, with the population confined to their homes 24 hours a day. Only one person can leave to access food specified by their National Identity Card. On the weekends no one is allowed outside.

Salvation Army centres in Bolivia were forced to close under government rules. Prior to quarantine, staff distributed all remaining food supplies to families of children who came to the centre weekly for a meal and health checks. They also taught parents to make alcohol gel and disinfectant to prevent the spread of the virus.

‘We can only wait on God, praying that this situation will end, and continue to support the children from our Salvation Army schools.’

Captain Abigail Miranda and Lieutenant Jamie Gòmez lead the Ancud Corps and Centre in South Chile, where there are 12,306 cases.

‘The situation is critical, with a flood of panic as positive results signal the seriousness of the outbreak paralysing the city,’ they report. People are out of work, food costs are rising, with masks and basic sanitising products very difficult to obtain.

With schools closing Abigail and Jamie say, ‘our dining room table has been busy’ as students without internet access at home gather there. But the hardest part is the reality that for many children, home is not a safe place.

‘Children with inter-family problems cannot leave their homes. Their shelter was school and our centre but, with quarantine, they have to endure abuse, and are at risk of contracting the virus due to parents not taking proper measures. Other children are forced into working in the fields with their parents and grandparents. It causes us great sadness and helplessness not to be able to solve all these problems for our children. We pray God has mercy on them.’

Covid-19 testing in the Philippines.

Major Jun Doliguez Aynaga Apayart, corps officer of Alcala Corps in the Philippines is full of faith despite a 30 percent increase in the cost of basic commodities, and taking a 50 percent cut in his officer’s allowance during the height of the pandemic.

‘Living in the midst of this pandemic, never lose your focus on him—trust God. He is still in control. He holds us in his loving hands. No matter what the future holds, there is no fear in him. We’re safe from the deadly plague because Christ’s DNA runs in our tiny veins. Indeed, there is power in the blood of Jesus! The pandemic is redirecting us as spiritual beings, calling our attention back to God as we depend on him for provision just like the prophet Elijah for whom God provided bread for his daily needs.’

Jun’s colleague, Territorial Projects Officer Captain Verlan Rosales, reports: ‘Our country has weak health and social service provisions and infrastructure. We are focused on community development approaches, providing education and promoting community responsibility. My role as a social worker/officer is to assist communities to find long-term solutions to this crisis, and to lead them to Jesus.’

Territorial Overseas Development Officer Major Debbie Clark explains that, ‘Covid-19 is affecting the world’s poor exponentially. We’re so fortunate in New Zealand to be essentially Covid-19 free, but what can we do for those who simply don’t have the same resources we do? Have we done enough within our own territory—Fiji, Tonga and Samoa— where tourism is shutting down and unemployment is rising rapidly?’

Debbie urges Salvationists to give serious and prayerful consideration to doing some extra fundraising for our overseas partners like Bangladesh, the Philippines and South America. Our sponsorship programme provides a great opportunity to extend our support with a one-off donation, or for just $30 a month you can make a difference to the lives of children and their families.

To find out how you can donate, email debbie.clark@salvationarmy.org.nz