Photo credit: Tuan Ban
To protect the vulnerable populations we support on a daily basis, our teams are doing everything possible to provide an emergency response to the Coronavirus crisis. Each week, follow the evolution of our activities in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Here is an update on our various interventions as of 4 April 2020.
Wherever possible, Aide et Action mobilizes all its human and material resources to develop its projects for the most vulnerable populations. Educating communities on prevention measures and providing them with basic support is our priority. Follow, region by region, the impact of the pandemic on our activities:
SOUTH ASIA :
Our projects in this region focus on vulnerable and marginalised populations (including internal migrants) and the socio-professional training of young people. In IndiaIn order to best support our beneficiaries, we focus our efforts on the following areas:
- Vulnerable and marginalised populations: collection of masks and creation of a database of information A list of key contacts for the girls with HIV-AIDS with whom we work in case of need; monitoring the care of children of precarious workers by community elders to ensure their safety; food support to 125 sex worker families.
- Internal migration : awareness of Migrant families in hygiene, social distancing and recognition of the symptoms of the disease; dialogue with the owners of the brick factories where the migrants were working, which helped to convince them to provide them with shelter and a daily food ration; advocacy work to the Indian authorities, who encouraged them to include these families in their national support programme; setting up a virtual community volunteer network composed of 225 volunteers in 175 villages to monitor the health of repatriated migrants and support the government in setting up quarantine facilities; distribution of food rations provided by the government and other organisations.
- Socio-professional training : digitisation of our socio-professional training programme "iLEAD"; creation of digital discussion groups to share interactive online assignments; monitoring the situation of students during the crisis; distance support from former students in dispute with their employers for full pay and sharing emergency service contacts.
SOUTHEAST ASIA :
This region was the first to be affected in the Coronavirus crisis.
- In Cambodia:In order to meet the current challenges, various activities have been developed. By transforming tuk-tuk (motorised tricycles) - previously used as mobile libraries for our educational projects - into mobile health stations, a large hygiene education and awareness campaign is currently being conducted in 200 remote villages. In addition hand washing stationsare installed and kits containing soap and books are being distributed to families. Our teams are also in the process of procuring rice in order to ensure a steady supply of food. food support to school children and their families. Finally, thanks to a mobile application already set up by Aide et Action, e-learning is developed. It is intended primarily for children with disabilities and has already been tested in some twenty classes.
- In Vietnam,The situation is more complicated due to government restrictions. However, our teams are currently working on the distribution of soap and disinfectant in some communes in association with a local partner. Aide et Action, the Ministry of Education and the teachers are considering how to support distance learning despite the problem in our target areas where the Internet is unstable and often unavailable.
Finally, at the Laos:our teams have submitted two new learning applications to the Ministry of Education (MoE). They are currently awaiting approval.
AFRIQUE :
Most of our activities are suspended due to health regulations.
- In GuineaFollowing a proposal from the Orange Foundation, our team is studying the possibility of setting up a dedicated project. This would include two actions: the organisation of distance learning with the use of digital tablets for pupils in CM2 and the distribution of hygiene kits for families, for health facilities and possibly for schools if school resumes.
- In SenegalAide et Action is developing a concept note to participate in the implementation of the "Learning at Home" strategy set up by the Ministry of Education.
- In addition, to help African countries cope with the pandemic, our Director General, Charles-Emmanuel Ballanger, has drafted a tribuneeIn this article, he calls on the President of the Republic not to forget Africa in this crisis. To this end, he urges the government to give humanitarian teams the means to continue their work of prevention, education and training on the ground, by launching without delay " a strong, historic, international and solidarity-based initiative ."
EUROPE :
In Franceas in RomaniaAlthough Aide et Action does not have any specific activities in this context, our local partners are still working on the issue. Although Aide et Action has not developed any specific activity in this context, our local partners closely monitor health and social developmentsThe situation is already worrying. Together we call on national authorities not to forget these communities more excluded than ever in the face of the Coronavirus.
We need your help
To implement all these urgent actions and to adapt our projects to this emergency situation, we need more than ever our most faithful supporters to help us!
