The Halcrow Foundation funds projects that are run by charities in Africa, Asia and the UK. As the Covid-19 outbreak reaches more countries around the world, we look at how some of our charity partners are adapting to the pandemic, changing how they work with the communities they support.
Baraka Community Partnerships believes education is the best route out of short and long-term poverty. It operates in Zambia and Laos, and runs a number of projects which help children and young people access education. These include building and supporting learning centres and a safe house, providing sanitation and educational support to schools, operating ‘book boats’ which provide learning and health resources to remote rural villages in Laos, and sponsoring more than 100 students who would not be in school or college without Baraka’s support.
How Baraka Community Partnerships is supporting communities in Zambia
The Covid-19 outbreak is particularly challenging for communities with poor communication channels, limited health care services, and little or no testing facilities. Baraka is running a campaign to help alleviate the crisis in rural Zambia, and its mission is to help communities and students understand how to avoid catching and spreading the virus. With no furloughing or benefits system in place for workers, the charity is distributing food and soap parcels to those within the Baraka family and beyond.
So far, the charity has distributed food and soap parcels, and shared vital information with communities about stopping the spread of the virus. It continues to support the students and their families on its sponsorship programmes with food parcels and educational resources.
The charity also joined forces with the local council to install hand washing stations at five markets in Kapiri Mposhi in Central Province, and educated stall holders and shoppers about social distancing, which wasn’t being practiced at the time.
Baraka is raising funds to help with its ongoing Covid-19 response, and you can donate here. Find out more about how Baraka is supporting its communities via its Facebook page here.
The photo shows some of the Baraka team helping to distribute food and soap. Including Francis Bwalya, Kings Nguluwe Jailos and Cynthia.
