COVID Care Kits Distributed in Malawi
Dennis Singini mobilizing for house to house distribution of water buckets and hand washing soap
MALAWI PLAGUE THREAT–COVID 19 ACTIVITY REPORT for June 2020
Malawi like any other nation is not spared from COVID 19 pandemic. Since March this year, many people have been screened and some were tested positive to the pandemic. The main challenge in Malawi is the environment on the ground that has made many people to take the issue of COVID 19 lightly. In Malawi, there is political unrest and demonstrations have been the song of every day and many people do not take prevention measures seriously because the issue has been politicized. The government advises its people to adhere to prevention measures like social distance, washing hands frequently with soap, use of hand sanitizer, or use of masks. But many Malawians do not observe these prevention measures hence a very big threat to the lives of many poor Malawians to be infected by the coronavirus.
Among other challenges is the lack of civic educating of the people especially in the villages because until now many Malawians believe there is no such disease called CORONA VIRUS and that this is a total lie. World Hope Corps Malawi discovered this during its campaign on COVID 19 when it was distributing water buckets, Handwashing soap, face masks, and teaching families how to prevent t from being infected. Ellah, a Nurse at Mzuzu central Hospital, volunteered to help World Hope Corps Malawi in educating the community door to door since they are not allowed to attend mass gatherings.
So far 165 houses have been visited with an average of 6 people per house which means 900 plus people have been reached through this educational and distribution program. A total of 165 COVID Care kits–water buckets alongside 5 tablets of handwashing soap per house– have been distributed since April 2020. When offered the use of masks, many are afraid. People think that using masks are dangerous. They think that’s the way the government wants to infect many Malawians with COVID 19.
Nurse Ellah told WorldHope Corps Malawi that PPE is the main challenge. Even in hospitals, they do not have enough masks. She asked WHC Mw to consider donating some to hospital staff who are frontlines in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus. World Hope Corps Malawi requests $25,000 to continue distributing COVID Care kits and to do a full civic education program on COVID 19 in the communities it serves for prevention to COVID 19.
