Reduce spread of COVID 19 in Kenyan communities

* not their real names

As the year started, *Mwanzia could not help but worry about his four children. Kamuongo, his village with a fast increasing population, is a growing centre of business. According to the government, it was now time for children to go back to school after the long break. He kept on wondering how the children would keep safe from contacting C-19 considering the classrooms were crowded.

As he was seated outside his home, CHAT CORP partner, Susan Nzakye approached him. She wondered why the man looked worried while everyone else was happy about starting a new year. Susan decided to talk to him and find out what the issue was. Mwanzia explained his children were going back to school and that meant school fees for all of them. Having had a rough year in his small retail shop business in 2020, money was tight. He had to get the children some new school uniforms since a yearlong growth spurt meant they could not fit into the old ones. Besides, the children had to have face masks and they also had to sort out the handwashing situation at school.

Susan, being prepared, told him not to worry. She had some masks in her backpack which she gave him for each of his children. She also told him of how she was supposed to be going to the school for the first week to help sensitize the teachers as well as the pupils. She told him of the government's temporary solution of separating the classes with some children taking their classes from outside and others remaining in class thus ensuring that the children can maintain social distancing. She told him of the various handwashing stations that had been set around the school to help with the handwashing at any time and of course, they had soap for this.

Mwanzia was happy to know that measures were being taken by the school. He was now sure his children were going to be safer from contracting C-19. He could not help but wonder how other children whose parents could not afford to buy them masks, what they would do and she told him not to worry, she had foreseen the problem and had some other C19 prevention kit that she would distribute within the school and good thing her church women’s group had offered to sew some for the less fortunate!

"I now agree with the cabinet secretary for health that fighting C-19 is a social responsibility. How you have thought of the children shows that if we all did the same for our neighbours we would easily beat corona!" Mwanzia was happy. His day seemed to be getting better. He invited Susan to sit with him for a cup of tea as his wife came to join them. Susan sensitized them on various methods of family planning to ensure that they do not have a family larger than they could manage and by the time she was leaving their home she was with his wife on their way to the dispensary for a five-year contraception protection implant.

CHAT reached a total of 23,993 people with integrated family planning & COVID 19 behaviour change communication (bcc). CORPs distributed face masks, soap, hand sanitizers, provided 5 liter & 20-liter containers towards constructing hand-washing stations, and received gun thermometers helping to screen for signs and symptoms of COVID 19.

"When we wear a mask, you'll be saving a life. That life could be your own, or someone who means a lot to you" Ron Baratono