The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed advanced health care systems all over the world.

It could have devastating effects in Africa,  where health and social services are weak.

Many African governments have acted quickly to put travel bans, self-quarantine, and other preventative measures in place. Critical steps have been taken to curbing the spread of COVID-19, and Self Help Africa has been playing its part.

Self Help Africa is working with our local teams,  local partners, with government ministries and UN agencies to support efforts to disseminate information, promote safety measures, and curb the pandemic in the countries where we work.

Most projects are continuing with modifications, to deliver training and input provision to ensure physical distancing. COVID-19 specific awareness raising and prevention is being included in all training, with hand-washing facilities/sanitisers being provided for staff, partners, and smallholders at aggregation centres and cooperatives.

Other COVID-19 responses include:

• Using mobile phone platforms to disseminate messaging and provide up to date advice on COVID-19 prevention measures.
• In Kenya and Uganda, farmers and agricultural cooperatives are being helped to secure markets for their produce in a time of lockdown.
• In Malawi, we have commenced a programme to distribute information, soap, jerry cans and other necessary equipment to  households in the country's far north. This was commenced on a pilot basis with 9,000 households and planning is underway to roll out efforts on a wider basis, to close to 150,000 households, in the coming weeks.

Read here a message from Self Help Africa CEO Ray Jordan.