01 May 2020

COVID 19 PANDEMIC IMPACTS EAST AFRICA

“What gives me hope is communities rallying around each other. In Kenya, we reacted to the fact that the disease would hit the poor harder than the rich. We have had food drives, with people doing as much as they can to help within the community. We don’t have the facilities, but we (the people) have a long history of responding to crises, mobilizing around public health. The public is trying to believe and act communally.”

Kenyan political analyst and author Nanjala Nyabola

     Nevertheless, East African countries are struggling.  Kenya confirmed the first case of Covid 19 on March 12, 2020 and followed with regulations for lockdowns, instituting a 7pm curfew on March 26.  This led to evening chaos at the Likoni ferry in Mombasa when police used tear gas and beatings to admit only 300 of the 1400 passengers normally allowed to board.

Kathy Flatoff - St. Patrick Dispensary
Bangladesh Informal Settlement - Mombasa Kenya

     East Africa will need to use local solutions to address their unique problems.  In densely populated informal settlements, water and food is purchased daily as 85% of traders work in the informal sector.  20 million people are already short of food.  This year has been troubled by heavy rains, flooding, landslides and a swarm of locust twenty times the size of last year. People are short of food.

Creatively, Maryknoll Lay Missioner Kathy Flatoff works with the parish leaders and priests in St. Patrick Catholic Church in the largest informal settlement of Bangladesh in Mombasa to assist vulnerable people.  Donations are channeled via Mpesa phone transfers to people identified by the parish leaders.  Women were prioritized and 500 shillings ($5) were sent to individuals after meticulous review.  This amount will purchase two-pound bags of rice, beans and maize flour at regular intervals, thereby supporting local food vendors and decreasing physical contact and disturbances at distribution centers.

     Maryknoll Fr. Joe Healey has worked with Small Christian Communities (SCCs) all over East Africa and globally.  He currently lives in Kenya where 45,000 SCCs would meet weekly.  With the Kenyan lockdown, meetings ended abruptly.  Rather than die they went digital.  They are finding ways to access money for smart phones and data bundles to connect pastorally and use phone transfers to distribute funds to vulnerable people.

     Amnesty International Kenya and 15 other community organizations have called for a ban on water and electricity charges to the public utilities in addition to removing a ban on rain water harvesting in Nairobi’s informal settlements.

     During the first two weeks of April, Uganda did manage to flatten the curve of Covid 19 at 55 cases and no deaths.  New cases have now continued to rise.  Previous experience with Marburg and Ebola epidemics prepared the country with improved public health protocols.  An educated public complied immediately with suspension of international flights and restrictions on internal movement.  Food vendors have slept in their market stalls for 14 days to avoid exposing themselves and others to infection.   The government is distributing food to 1.5 million vulnerable families and has halted evictions of communities from contested lands.  It also supports businesses by rescheduling social security contributions.

     Tanzania has struggled with mixed messaging.  The president encourages citizens to continue to gather in places of worship to ‘rid the body of Christ of this devilish virus’.  However, Bishop Niwemugizi of Rulenge-Ngara diocese carefully evaluated the evolution of the pandemic in other parts of the world and decided to suspend all community religious gatherings for one month beginning April 19^th.  Maryknoll Missioners at the Lake House of Prayer in Mwanza have directed the faithful to continue their prayers in the safety of their homes.  Meanwhile, missioners are providing culturally sensitive public health education for prevention and treatment and have organized the local production of over 1000 face coverings.

      South Sudan is one of the weakest nations in the world and 34 cases have been confirmed as of 1st May with limited testing.  The WHO has delivered testing supplies and PPE to prepare for an expected progression of disease.  The government has partially locked down movement by closing schools, shops, borders and airports. Lay missioner Gabe Hurrish is restricted to Kuron Peace Village and Fr. Mike Bassano cannot enter section III of the Malakal Protection of Civilian camp.  Both remain in South Sudan and continue to provide pastoral and educational assistance as they are able.

     It is expected that the pandemic will overwhelm the health care services on the African continent very easily as all infrastructures are fragile.  Nearly 60% of the population are under age 25 but 56% are living in crowded centers and many have HIV, TB and malnutrition.  The WHO estimates 10 million Africans could be infected by Covid 19 in the next six months.  The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is calling for a $100 billion safety net to provide testing and treatment.

     However, food insecurity is the most immediate problem. 1.2 billion people reside on the African continent and 20% are undernourished; the highest percentage in the world.  Droughts, floods, locusts and war caused this. Lock downs for public health protection that restrict movement exacerbate it by increasing the price of food while decreasing grazing land and access to markets. 

     The WFP estimates 30 million Africans are food insecure and 300,000 could die each day for the next three months without assistance.  It needs $1.9 billion immediately to avert this crisis.  Then, they will need $10 billion for the remainder of the year as well as an end to conflicts and unimpeded humanitarian access.

     The nations of the world are like boats trying to navigate the ocean of the Covid pandemic.  Some countries steer luxury liners.  These who are privileged need to throw a rope to save the African boats which are already being engulfed by waves of food insecurity, hunger and soon starvation.  

PEACE OF ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER TO YOU
May he intercede for casual laborers to find work at this difficult time!!!

https://www.smallchristiancommunities.org - click on the Facebook icon to go to the next link....

https://www.facebook.com/www.smallchristiancommunities.org

https://www.theelephant.info/reflections/2020/04/18/covid-19-in-africa-to-eat-or-to-heal/

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/04/06/kenya-coronavirus-lockdowns 

https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/mombasa/Chaos-rock-Likoni-ferry-crossing/1954178-5505438-tgnv84/index.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52354857

https://theconversation.com/why-a-one-size-fits-all-approach-to-covid-19-could-have-lethal-consequences-134252

https://mklm.org/7000-bars-of-soap/

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/africa/news/2020-04/covid-19-africa-could-end-up-suffering-the-most.html

https://www.africanews.com/2020/04/20/courage-through-a-lens-a-ugandan-journalist-s-covid-19-chronicle/ 

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3081312/prayer-not-lockdown-these-african-leaders-answer-coronavirus

https://www.afro.who.int/news/who-prepositions-supplies-speed-testing-suspected-covid-19-cases-south-sudan

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/world/africa/coronavirus-hunger-crisis.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_NN_p_20200423&instance_id=17877&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=127404277&section=topNews&segment_id=25792&te=1&user_id=0ce8dac562c8998105e02485745d6854

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-africa-un-idUSKBN21Z1LW?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

https://www.dw.com/en/severe-hunger-threatens-africa-during-covid-19-lockdowns/a-53212565