If there was ever a time to ‘take your vitamins’, ‘don’t pick your nose’, ‘stop rubbing those eyes’, ‘wash those hands’ and all the other sensible things our mums have been telling us for years, it’s now!
Thanks, mums — we’ll do our best.
But seriously, when things like this happen, it can be a little scary. So we wanted to reach out to say chin up, we’re here, we love you, and we’ll get through this together.
We also wanted to share our COVID-19 plan of action here at home, and for our programs in Sierra Leone and Uganda.
HOME ...
- From Monday 16 March, we’ve all been working from home and have made arrangements for this to continue until Friday 10 April, when we’ll re-evaluate based on current information.
- We’re lucky! We’re all digital natives and are accustomed to working remotely.
- We meet every day on a video call to see each others’ faces and check-in to keep on keeping on. We’re even figuring out how we can still have our staff socials by playing board games via video link (NERDS)!
… AND AWAY.
- In Sierra Leone and Uganda, our programs have always included education about proper water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices, but we’ve stepped up our response plan and are working hard to prepare communities with the knowledge they need to help stop the spread of this virus.
- During the last two weeks we have been visiting schools and communities to run training sessions and distribute resources to educate parents, students, teachers and community members about virus prevention, and the importance of keeping spirits high and looking after health and wellbeing during the pandemic.
- In Sierra Leone and Uganda, people are still living with the trauma inflicted as a result of the Ebola pandemic, which left many families bereaved and impoverished. We’re working to produce some resources that encourage communities to: stay in touch with family; use time at home to do something they maybe don't usually have time for and love doing; remember that it’s okay to feel sad or angry, and to give and accept help from others during difficult times.
- As of today, there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 reported in Sierra Leone and just 14 in Uganda, but both governments are taking decisive action to mitigate the spread before it starts by banning public gatherings restricting international travel and taking social isolation very seriously.
- We will plan for programs to make sure we continue to support communities in the most effective ways once schools close.
We’ll keep you up-to-date as things progress and let you know if the situation for any of the girls and communities we work with changes.
In the meantime, you can support us by making a donation (or becoming a regular giver) to help make sure we can weather this storm and continue to support girls and communities.
Until then, listen to your mum, stay safe and stay inside as much as you can!
Love Sarah,
and the One Girl team x
