By Emily Obiti | Field Worker
Thank you so much for supporting us to respond to coronavirus in Kibera. You’ve helped us to do so much to stand with the community we serve. The first cases of coronavirus in Kenya were reported in March and schools (and therefore all our normal programmes) were closed immediately. Since then, with your help, we have:
Since schools closed, our social workers have kept in regular contact with each of the 150 families we normally work with in Kibera. While a few have managed to keep their jobs or sustain their small businesses, most have lost their usual sources of income from casual labour. Normally their children would receive 2 school meals each day at our centres, now most families are only eating one meal a day to stretch out the little they have. Like 10-year-old Alex, both of his parents have lost their jobs and there’s rarely enough food in the house for Alex and his siblings. You have helped us to provide a weekly food voucher to the hardest-hit families including Alex.
We’re distributing these vouchers through local shops in Kibera, this means Alex and his family can get whatever they need close to their home and we support small-businesses in Kibera at the same time.
We’re continuing to provide free handwashing stations around the slum enabling people to wash their hands regularly at no extra cost. We’re partnering with small business owners who watch over the ad hoc handwash points made out of recycled cooking oil bottles. Three of our student’s mums are making the 125l of soap needed each week to supply the stations.
We have not yet reached the peak of infections in Kenya and schools are not expected to open until January 2021. We are determined to continue supporting the families we work with and the wider community as best we can. If you could make another donation to help us sustain this work, or share about what we’re doing with a friend, you would be making a huge difference.
Thank you.
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