The CorpsAfrica Volunteers’ Coronavirus Awareness and Prevention Campaign
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Access to reliable information remains an obstacle for remote villages. In the case of a public health crisis, this absence of information can be a matter of life and death. That is why CorpsAfrica quickly organized an awareness campaign. We asked Volunteers to organize community meetings at their sites to share (in the local dialect) the most up-to-date information, including what coronavirus is, how it spreads, how to prevent it, and how to respond if/when it reaches their community.
CorpsAfrica’s unique model is ideally positioned to respond to a crisis. Volunteers are able to quickly leverage their deep understanding of their sites and the relationships they’ve built in order to create safe and trustful spaces. As respected members of their communities, they can promote best practices and serve as sounding boards for concerned citizens. They can, likewise, act as the voice of their communities, and bring in information and equipment from public health groups. To be clear, this effort costs very little. The Volunteers are already at their sites, building trust through friendships, and we can mobilize them quickly and connect them to outside resources. The effort to provide what could be life-saving information is simple, powerful, and low cost. But it takes funds to support the CorpsAfrica Volunteers and they need you more than ever. A little bit goes a long, long way, especially now. |
Just published: CorpsAfrica's COVID-19 After-Action Review Report 
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A message from His Excellency Edward Yakobe Sawerengera of the Republic of Malawi. In conversation with CorpsAfrica's Founder Liz Fanning, Ambassador Sawerengera said, "...The CorpsAfrica Volunteers demonstrate the spirit of selflessness, commitment to giving and helping, which is incredible and I want to say thank you. ... Their sacrifice and noble service will go a long way to inspire generations of Africans to serve their own people ..."
Watch the 4-minute interview here: ==> |
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In total, 3,427 people attended the meetings, which ranged in size from 12-person gatherings to forums of more than 500. In Senegal, 1,207 people attended 19 different meetings organized by Volunteers. Eighteen meetings were conducted in Rwanda, reaching 1,254 people. In Malawi, Volunteers held nine meetings, reaching 966 people. |
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The data shows that although a large share of people had heard about the virus before the meetings, fewer than half knew how it is transmitted or how to prevent it from spreading. Villagers also had several misconceptions about the disease, such as, “Africans are immune to the disease – it only affects white people.” |
CorpsAfrica/Maroc Volunteer Ali Aksim made these signs for his village in the High Atlas Mountains, Setti Fadma valley, Province of Tahanaout:
"Wash your hands with soap"
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"Keep a social distance" - "Don't shake hands with people" - "Follow the security recommendations" (and the writing on the wall says "Protect the environment")
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CorpsAfrica/Senegal staff is working with the Ministry of Youth to coordinate the launch of Action Plans Against Covid-19, with the production of 5,000 liters of bleach, 5,000 pieces of soap, 500 face masks, and more, led by Volunteers and alumni and hosted by the Center for Popular and Sportive Education (CEDEPS) in the Department of Guediawaye (a suburb of Dakar). The CorpsAfrica Volunteers and Alumni trained volunteers from National Civic Service and local young people in select districts to share what they learned and bring needed resources to their respective communities. All of this production will be distributed in five communes of Dakar where young people have been selected to be trained on the COVID-19 prevention techniques. See more pictures of the project and ceremony here. |
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RTS featured CorpsAfrica/Senegal and the Ministry of Youth's National Civic Service at there presentation ceremony of the COVID-19 prevention kits produced by Volunteers for vulnerable communities in the Dakar region. (1:48)
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Cherif Khoury prepared this special video to show how the Volunteers were engaged during the process of production (2:13)
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Our data shows that although most communities in the three countries had heard about the virus from the radio (more than 93%), friends and neighbors remained a major (66%) source of information. We encouraged all people who attended the meetings to share the information with their friends and neighbors. At right is a CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Senegal making a public service announcement on her local radio station about coronavirus.
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Members of the communities had a chance to share their concerns with the Volunteers. Most were worried about:
Before the meeting, half the Volunteers reported that their communities felt prepared to deal with the virus outbreak and they had learned how to prevent the disease from spreading. Many Volunteers reported that their communities would feel helpless if the virus were to reach their villages. |
Distance from a health clinic
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75% of Volunteers say their communities are following suggested guidelines
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Click here to see the survey responses to the following questions:
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CorpsAfrica Volunteers in Rwanda, under the supervision of the country office and in close collaboration with the local leadership (especially the officers in charge if social welfare and community health workers) are providing washing tools called Kandagira Ukarabe (step and clean, shown in picture at right) for every Volunteer site. They don’t require opening the tap to get water; each person uses his or her toes to tap and get water to clean. Volunteers are taking the time to show the communities how to properly wash their hands. In addition to this, Volunteers are sensitizing people about social distancing. Volunteers are aware of the danger of the coronavirus outbreak. They keep a reasonable distance with their communities while assisting them. The communities and local leaders are very grateful for CorpsAfrica’s role in the prevention campaign against coronavirus.
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CorpsAfrica/Rwanda Volunteers are also drawing circles with chalk for community members when they are lining up for shopping to help them respect the social distancing guidelines:
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A Volunteer in Rwanda, made face masks by hand for the people in his rural village. In the pictures below, you can see he is wearing one and handing some to the ladies selling in the market and people he meets by the side of the road.
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CorpsAfrica staff in all offices are working remotely to support the Volunteers. We gave Volunteers the option to return home, but most have made the selfless decision to stay at their sites to continue to provide vital information about COVID-19, answer questions, and promote healthy practices to prevent its spread. They are proving to be tenacious, practical, and committed to people in rural African communities.
Summary of Key Points
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Quotes from Volunteers:
- “My community is now informed and knows how to protect itself."
- “At first, people didn’t know anything about the pandemic but now they are aware of it. They are grateful to have someone to make sure they were not left behind. They said, “Thanks to our CorpsAfrica Volunteer we and are ready to fight the coronavirus as well as poverty.”
- “My community is thankful of us CorpsAfrica Volunteers as we are the first to raise awareness in the community”
- “I have learned that information can save people's lives.”
- “I am on the site to help the community in being aware of and understanding the covid-19 pandemic. In my village there are a lot of rumors and false information, the community needs someone they trust to explain the truth to them.”
- “I choose to stay on my site for two reasons. First, it is safer here as there has been no case of coronavirus. Second, advising and guiding my community about the coronavirus situation in our county is my duty as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Morocco”
A special thanks to:
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