Current situation
We are frequently asked what the status of the corona virus is in our work area. To be honest, we don't know. The government does what is within their capacity, but unfortunately there is not enough testing capacity to provide statistically useful information. Moreover, testing is only carried out in a few places in the country. Recently testing was done at a border with Tanzania (Nakonda) for the first time, causing the number of infections to skyrocket. So far, testing in the East of the country where Jacana is located has not been done. Unfortunately, it is also not known whether there is an increase in mortality rates.
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The government has imposed preventive measures, such as washing hands, keeping a distance of 1.5 meters and wearing face masks in public places. There is no panic in the area. People here are used to diseases such as malaria, cholera, TB and HIV / AIDS, from which many people still die every day. Unfortunately, we are no longer kept informed of covid-19 developments on a daily basis and must therefore base our work on assumptions.
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What Jacana stops doing for now
We do not organise meetings with groups of people for the time being, this means:
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- No training of entrepreneurs
- No beekeepers training
- No introduction meetings in communities
- No pump and filter promotion campaigns with different partners.
We wait until it is safe to start working with groups.
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What is Jacana exactly doing in times of covid-19?
Our employees work from home as much as possible, in rural areas in one-on-one situations or on the construction site where there is sufficient space to keep a distance.
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Water for handwashing in public places
We installed handwashing facilities at strategic places for example in public markets. They are managed and supplied with water by small-scale entrepreneurs. They are used intensively. Jacana makes every week more than 70 litres of liquid soap for these hand washing facilities.
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Water for health centres
We started a project in which we want to ensure that all health centres in the province have water. The borehole siters -which we trained in the past- have investigated the problems in half of the districts already. It is only through physical check at the sites that we really get to know the need.
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The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Water are investigating how they can arrange fuel for the transport which was promised for this project and Ministry of Health is working on Vat exemption for the PVC pipes. In this way we hope to maximize the impact of the project.
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While the soil researchers and the Ministries continue their work, welders are making pumps and handwashing standards and the first 3 drilling teams are already working to supply the first 7 centres with water.
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Driller in action at health centre near the Mozambique border
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Because the need is high and the virus does not wait.
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