COVID19 and Kenya

We wanted to update you all on how coronavirus is impacting Milele and our families in Kenya. I'm sure many of you have been worried about our sponsored families and our sponsorship co-ordinator Rieder, just as we have.

The problem:

As you are aware, COVID19 is a global pandemic and there have been confirmed cases in Kenya. The Kenyan government has taken a range of significant actions to attempt to prevent the virus spreading.

The difficulties our families are facing are similar in many ways to the challenges facing us here; however it is complicated by poverty, as everything is. For all of our families being unable to leave the house means being unable to earn money to feed themselves. Very few have running water and most cannot afford soap,  meaning that taking sensible hygiene precautions is difficult too.

Currently, the schools are closed and families are facing the same challenge as many of you I'm sure - keeping their children busy, distracted and happy while in lockdown. Of course, most of the families we support do not have the benefit of electricity, toys etc so this is understandably presenting some difficulties particularly for our most active children.

What are we doing to help?

* Food parcels - We have arranged for food parcels to all our families to sustain them while they are unable to go out and these all include soap and/or alcohol hand gel.  We are hoping that this will mean they are not forced to leave home.
* Health Promotion - We have given educational handwashing information using picture resources and Rieder, our charity co-ordinator in Kenya, visited in the early days to give essential basic advice around handwashing, social distancing and how to protect vulnerable members of the family as best they can. 
* Remote Contact - Rieder has also ensured that each of the families have access to a telephone (if not of their own then through a neighbour or close relative) so that he can contact them and have given them all scratch cards with phone credit on in case of an emergency.
* Medication - Some of our children take regular medication. We have been working with Rieder to ensure they are still able to collect their medication with minimum social contact as this is obviously vital at all times, and most especially at the moment.
* Education - Rieder has been receiving school work from their schools remotely and is printing and dropping it outside their homes for them all, this has been vital to keep them occupied.
* Safeguarding - Of course, a few of our children have rather difficult home lives and we are also aware of safeguarding issues at this time. We are doing our very best on a case-by-case basis to monitor this closely and trying to mitigate what we can and we are ready to put in extra support remotely if and when it is needed.

What does this mean for you?
As many of you will know, we have set Milele up in a way that allows us to respond to emergencies. We did not expect a pandemic; however we are ready to act to support our families. This extra support is being funded over and above our normal sponsorship through use of our emergency funds.

*There is of course no obligation on you at all, however this is an extremely difficult period for small charities like us and if anyone is in a position to and would like to make a donation to help us through this time it would be very gratefully received indeed. Equally if anyone is in the position to commit to sponsoring a child for £7.50 a month, we really do need your support now more than ever. Please get in touch by sending us a message if you would like more information.*

Each of us is facing our own different challenges right now and no-one is finding this easy. Thank-you for all your kind thoughts and messages and we send lots of love right back to you.

Stay safe xxx

Amy, Rich, Rieder and our trustee team.