March 2020

Hello subscriber subscriber,

Situation in Zambia 

Unfortunately, the first people in Zambia tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. All kinds of measures have been announced by the President, one of them is washing hands and keeping a distance. This will be quite a challenge for Zambian people.

Most Zambians buy their food at the market, where it is very crowded, people only pay in cash and keeping a distance is very difficult. Some hospitals and many markets have no or insufficient hand washing facilities and that is why Jacana prepared 40 hand washing facilities for Chipata and Lundazi.

Welders, trained in the water programme, made the stands and Jacana in collaboration with EMD provided all buckets with taps and a sticker. The sticker explains how you can best wash your hands and they also promote affordable water solutions.

The hand washing facilities have mainly gone to markets and hospitals where many people gather and where the risk of contamination is high.

Liquid hand soap is expensive, that is why Jacana made and supplied extra hand soap.

It is difficult to stay at home in Zambia. Most Zambians "live from hand to mouth", which means that what people earn today is spent today. There are no reserves. Staying at home for a day directly results in no food for that day. No one can predict how the corona virus will spread in Zambia.

Let's hope that together we can take enough measures to limit the corona virus as much as possible and save the life of many people, because if the virus spreads uncontrollably in countries like Zambia then thousands of people will lose their lives.

Jacana, EMD and the people of Lundazi and Chipata would like to thank Drink & Donate and Marie-Stella-Maris who made this initiative possible.

Please take adequate measures and stay healthy.

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