COVID-19 is truly a global pandemic; it’s unlikely that any community will escape its impact. But communities in the Global South will feel its brunt more severely – the lockdown is already causing hunger and hardship across Kenya, Nigeria and India.
From Thailand to Columbia, Lesotho to Nepal, Misean Cara is supporting its members to respond to the urgency of the COVID-19 virus. The response to this pandemic is only as strong as the weakest link; we at Misean Cara stand together with our members in our commitment to help those in need in the Global South. We are supporting members to help protect their communities: sewing masks, setting up hand-washing points, sourcing Personal Protective Equipment and distributing food parcels along with medication to those in need where possible.
A significant concern for Misean Cara is for healthcare workers; this virus is having a disproportionate impact on them – we are making sure that their protection is at the heart of any community response, supporting provision of Personal Protective Equipment as well as recruitment of extra staff in healthcare facilities in order to try to reduce the risk of transmission.
Misean Cara is also focusing on helping those who are hardest to reach with health care and humanitarian provision – this means targeting, for example, people living in refugees camps as well as the elderly and people who have disabilities; those who are likely to be worst affected by the COVID-19 virus.
Communities across the Global South are already bearing the brunt of the impact of climate change and global inequality. This pandemic is yet another layer to the challenges of hunger, violence and inequality; each layer pushing communities closer to humanitarian emergency.
Please check back for updates on Misean Cara members’ response to COVID-19.
